Wicked Strange
by Renegade Seraph
Summary: AU Squinoa: When the Bleaks chose Rinoa, they didn’t realise it would start a war. Her only chance of freedom is Squall, who is a paranormal bounty hunter, trapped between dimensions. Everyone wants someting from her, but all she wants to do is survive.
1. One Look

**Author's Note: **Not quite sure what to say about this fic really, it's just me trying my hand at something new again. Suffice to say you'll need an open mind, it's a paranormal story so in that sense, not all that realistic. Hope that you all enjoy regardless of the oddness!

**Wicked Strange**

_**'One Look'**_

**FRIDAY MORNING**

**02:00**

Rinoa stumbled into the ladies toilets, narrowly missing the girl with the thigh high boots, and took hold of the sink in order to steady herself. The round of shots she had just done with the random people she had only just met, were now buzzing around in her blood. She was in no doubt that she was only moments away from passing out. Peering at herself in the mirror, she saw the other girls swarming around in the background, laughing and gossiping, all swaying with alcohol. It took a moment for Rinoa to stop watching the scene behind her and look back at her own face.

Her eyeliner was so smudged that it no longer lined anything, and there was nothing left of her metallic blue eye shadow. Her lip-gloss had been licked away long ago, and her hair was sticky with sweat. Her brain couldn't register the face before her as being a mess, but instead told her hands to fish her makeup from her bag. With her eyeliner reapplied in thick dark lines, and smudged into place with her finger, and her hand in her dark hair, artistically ruffling it, she thought that she had rescued her look. But may have thought differently had she not been seeing double.

Someone bumped into her arm as they reached for the sink also. Rinoa turned to see a smaller girl fumbling in her bag before taking out a lipstick. She smiled as she saw Rinoa looking at her, and then returned to the mirror. Rinoa stared at the girl's hair, the ends flicked upwards, and the tiny black dress she was wearing. She looked down and saw yellow go-go boots. She suddenly wished that this girl was her friend. There was no reasoning behind her thoughts.

Pushing herself away from the sink, Rinoa wandered back out into the crowds of the club. She ignored the group of men who were trying to get her attention, by pushing their hands away as she walked past. She hated blokes like that; who thought a girl should stop and pay them attention just because they said so.

Rinoa had a tried and tested criteria for the men she dated. Preferably she didn't meet them in clubs, but a girl couldn't be too picky. If a man got onto the dancefloor, and danced without being embarrassed, then she'd pay him some attention. The ones that stood around and watched were probably too afraid to make a fool of themselves, and who wanted to date someone so serious?

Even with a few drinks inside of her Rinoa could dance better than most. Her father had paid a lot of money for dancing lessons when she was a kid. Ballet, tap, jazz, and as she had gotten older it had developed into an obsession. Not that that kind of dancing was welcomed here. But it at least helped her to find the beats in the music. Most people came here to drink and find other likeminded people, but for Rinoa, drinking was just a distraction. She came to dance.

"Dance with me," someone shouted into her ear as she swayed on the dancefloor.

She flinched as his voice scorched her ear and backed away. What made this guy think she would want to? She was dancing with her friends, and hadn't looked his way even once. There was nowhere for her to escape to, and he seemed to think her lack of an answer as invitation to start some kind of weird 'bump and grind' on her leg.

Fine, Rinoa thought, if you want to dance with me then you'll have to keep up. Pushing him backwards she slowly dipped down to the floor, only to find that the guy was still trying his sleazy move. Pushing him back again she continued to dance, swaying her hips fiercely with the beat. She didn't care if he thought she was a tease, she hadn't asked him to look her way, and she didn't want his grabby hands on her either.

"Aw come on!" he whined as he was pushed him away again.

Annoyed, Rinoa hurried back to her friends, who seemed to find the man's effort amusing.

Eventually giving up, the guy turned away, and Rinoa felt herself relax again into the music. As the strobe lights flashed over her head and blinded her, her eyes flickered to the bar, and met another. The lights flashed and she lost him in the mass of people.

Seifer said it was best to keep an eye on the other side. These creeps could sneak ahead if your head was turned. You needed a sharp eye. They prayed on the emotions of others, and there was no other place in the world where so many emotions filled the same room at once. With the flashing lights came frustration, confusion, excitement, love, envy, and there was nowhere where the feeling of loneliness was more poignant. All those people enjoying themselves, and there were always those who looked on and wished that it was them. They were sweet prey, willing to surrender in their misery.

Squall ordered drinks to pass the time. Of all the places they hunted, this was his least favourite. He even preferred the dark alleyways, and creepy abandoned houses they often hung out in, but this was a world he didn't understand. Alcohol burned his throat but the warming feeling it created was worth the taste. It was one the rare things humans had got right.

Seifer had brought his pet pixie along for the night, or rather, hadn't argued when she had suggested accompanying them. She belonged to Seifer through an old magic debt, that wouldn't set her free until she'd fulfilled it. Whatever that meant. All Squall knew was that she had arrived after they had freed a small pixie town of its unwelcome visitors. Now she wouldn't ever leave them alone.

Selphie was useful to have around some of the time, but mostly she just caused more havoc. She had a small amount of magic to use, but she frequently disobeyed what was asked of her. But when her mind was set against the Bleaks, then she was a formidable force.

The Bleaks were the reason Squall and Seifer were here. Many years ago they had been called to fight this odd foe, but had never been sent back to their own dimension. In a way they were trapped. Doomed to destroy Bleaks for all eternity. The ones that had called for their aid were long since dead. But no matter how many were eradicated, there were always more to take their place. Squall had a suspicion that he would never again go home, not until he had killed every last Bleak in the world. But he never shared this thought with Seifer. There was no point in them both despairing.

Looking across the room, his eyes spotted Selphie, surrounded by people who were drawn by her otherworldly glow. She attracted people; it was a pixie gift, excellent for causing mischief. Squall supposed that as far as the fairy folk go, Selphie wasn't so bad… he'd met far worse.

With his gaze following Selphie, he caught sight of a girl with dark hair and eyes darkened with kohl heading out onto the dancefloor. Predictably he watched her catch the attention of a group of men, but surprisingly she ignored them. He watched her intently, not thinking why, until Seifer called his interest.

"The Bleaks like her," he said looking at the dark haired girl also. "I wonder what she feels."

Seifer's question sharpened Squall's perception. The Bleaks swirled around her in a dark blanket, touching her exposed skin without her even knowing. Squall's fist clenched, and he reached for his gun, but Seifer grabbed his arm.

"No, not here, too many people," he warned.

Squall pulled his arm away. Seifer was right. They always waited until either the people went home, or the Bleaks drifted away. Tonight they seemed transfixed on this girl, but she didn't notice them. Usually the prey would feel unwell by now, but she continued to dance as if they weren't there.

Squall frowned. His intense glare must have caught her interest, as she looked his way. Closing his eyes against her questioning, he disappeared into the crowd. She would forget she even looked his way, her mind would tell her it was a trick of the light, just a face in the crowd. He wouldn't meet her gaze because those that got close always got hurt.

**03:00**

"The Bleak can appear as dark shadows, but thick and sticky, as if you could choke on it," the fair-haired man said, stirring the freshly poured coffee in his cup. He looked up at the blonde girl, taking notes at the opposite end of the table. She looked interested, but not impressed. "No one knows where they came from. It is thought they did not originate on this planet. Or even… this universe…"

The blonde girl wrote this down faithfully, word for word, and then she looked closer at her page. Was he having her on? She was supposed to be listening to 'true' stories of the paranormal, not the fantasies of a teenage boy. She stared at him with a frown, searching his face for the telltale signs of a liar. She saw none.

"Not in this universe? What do you mean by that? Where else would they have come from, that is, if such a thing as these _bleaks_ exist?"

Zell Dincht stirred his coffee some more. She must really be dedicated to her job if she was prepared to come here at this hour to talk fairy stories with him. It was because she had agreed to this hour that he was even bothering with the truth. She wasn't like the other investigators, who were out to make quick buck off the back of a paranormal thriller… she actually cared.

"There is more than one universe," he said, watching her eyes first confused and then turning to doubt. She was a girl brought up on hard science, where everything had an answer, even if it was still waiting to be discovered. She would not be easy to convince.

"Like another dimension?" she asked, her mind pouring out images of all the sci-fi films she had ever watched, with people disappearing into a flash of light, or into a teleporter.

"Yes," he said. "There are other dimensions, but no one knows which one the Bleak came from. Or who controls them. All I know is, they feed on emotions, and they can manipulate. They're dangerous."

As Quistis Trepe watched, she thought she saw the tattoo on the side of his face gleam. He was by far the most normal of 'magicians' she had seen. He didn't dress like the others in top hats and tails, or have a long beard and hippy clothes. Apart from the curious markings on the side of his face, he looked as sane as she was, or, there abouts.

"These Bleaks…" she said, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to sound as if she had bought into the story, or that she hadn't. She wanted to sound curious, but not desperate. "Can _you_ see them?" This was the best lead she'd had in a long time.

"Can _you_?" he asked clearly amused.

Quistis looked at his cup, it was empty. She didn't remember seeing him drink anything. She shook her head. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable, as if something wasn't right. Her heart began to pound with the excitement that told her, she might have found something real.

"I see them when they stalk prey. You can let yourself out I suppose?" he said.

Quistis looked towards the door.

"But…"

She stopped. He was no longer sitting at the table, nor was he even in the room.


	2. Meeting at Four

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews guys!

**_'Meeting At Four'_**

**FRIDAY MORNING**

**04:00**

Her hand reached to her throat to check that the chain still hung there, and her fingers wrapped around the warm metal links with familiar comfort, before sliding down to hold the silver ring. It was such a well-known movement that she was now unconscious of doing it, like tucking stray strands of hair behind her ears.

Taking a step towards the edge of the pavement, Rinoa looked up and down the empty road for moving traffic. There was none, only parked cars lined up along the opposite side, some in the darkness, others under the glare of the streetlamps. Walking out of the orange glow into the darkness on the other side, Rinoa wondered why she didn't feel afraid.

There was nobody around, everyone had disappeared into taxis, or walked on ahead of her. She didn't know why she had insisted on her friends taking the taxi, and then lying to them, saying she would get the next one that came along. Telling them she'd be fine, refusing their offers for someone to stay behind with her.

She felt reckless suddenly, as if all her usual fears of muggers, rapists, and murderers were stupid. Why had she been so worried before? Even to the point of mistrusting the taxi driver, making her friends promise to call her as soon as they got home. Nothing seemed to matter on this dark night, at four in the morning, with not a soul to be seen.

Rinoa's mother had always woven bedtime stories that were far and beyond the regular kind of princesses and dragons. Rinoa Heartilly grew up knowing of magic, not the hocus pocus kind that turned people in frogs, and sent shooting sparks into the air, but the quiet kind, that no one ever noticed. It was all around, but she had never been able to see it or understand it like her mother had.

Even with the death of her mother, she had felt nothing unusual in the air, not even standing at the graveside, looking down at the freshly turned earth. She had hoped that her mother might have appeared to her, and revealed her secrets of the world she always spoke of, but nothing changed.

Perhaps she should have let go of such stories long ago and left them in childhood, but she had not. Some how they spoke more of truth than just entertainment. Her mother might have told her more, but had been taken away too soon. Rinoa had kept her eye out for the odd and unusual ever since, but always keeping her vigil a secret.

* * *

"This way!" Seifer shouted, running full pelt down the alley and turning the corner before disappearing around the corner.

Squall looked at his watch, it would be getting light soon. Something dark rushed overhead too fast to be seen. It hadn't noticed him, it was chasing Seifer. Picking up the pace, Squall took a different alley to Seifer, they would meet in the middle, as long as everything went to plan. Something fast and bright streaked past him, glittering and laughing.

Changing direction, Squall too another path, he had no desire to follow the pixie. If she was deciding to help then she could handle her share of the capture alone, and if she was merely enjoying the ride, then it was best to keep out of her way.

Seifer looked behind him, he was alone and running, Squall must have taken another path, so they had been separated. Great, he thought, sometimes it paid to split up, but he didn't think today was going to be one of those days. He was already been followed, and there were three more Bleaks up ahead. He dropped to the floor, and changed direction. The Bleak that had been following zoomed across the sky in the wrong direction. He'd have to leave it, he was outnumbered.

He rounded the corner to come abruptly face to face with Selphie.

"Arrgh!" he shouted almost tripping as he skidded to a halt. "What the hell?"

"Miss me?" she asked sweetly, her hands clasped behind her back.

"No," Seifer replied irritated. She'd made him loose his concentration, and the Bleaks had disappeared. "What do you want?" he snapped, spinning the chamber in his gun. He always liked to double check that the bullets were still there.

"I know where he is!" she said in a singsong voice, that made Seifer fume with anger. They were already running out of time, he didn't need the pixie's games.

"What?" he snapped.

Selphie pointed.

"There!"

Seifer jumped as a shot was fired much too close, and he felt something hot graze his ear. The silver bullet passed straight through Selphie, causing her to change to her shimmering golden dust. The bullet ripped through the air and into the Bleak that had gone unnoticed by Seifer, just inches away. It shattered like a mirror.

Seifer spun around enraged.

"Damn it Leonheart!" he yelled. Selphie re-materialised next to him looking put out, clearly she didn't appreciate being shot.

"Stop talking to your girlfriend, we've three Bleaks to go!"

Seifer shot a scathing look at Selphie.

"She's not my girlfriend... hey, where are you going?"

As soon as he began following Squall he felt it, a change in the Bleaks. They were not hunting them any more, but someone else. There shouldn't have been anyone around at this time.

* * *

Rinoa checked her phone as she walked, she didn't have any messages but looked anyway. She felt as if she was waiting for something, but didn't know what. Suddenly she was confronted by two men, running towards her, but it was the firework streaking towards her face that was causing her the most concern. Ducking down, she felt it lift strands of her hair as it whistled overhead.

Squall didn't like to involve civilians, but this was something different. This girl was either calling the Bleaks with dark magic, or she was a great magnet for them. They wouldn't know until the Bleaks had been dispersed, and they could apprehend her. Squall saw the girl's eyes widen at the gun in Seifer's hand, and realised that Seifer had just fired a shot.

Rinoa screamed, but the bullet missed her. A noise like shattering glass sounded nearby and she flung herself to the floor. Without thinking, Squall's trigger finger twitched and another Bleak was down. One left, unperturbed by it's brother's having been shot down, still desperate to get near the girl.

Selphie's light illuminated it for the briefest of seconds, and two shots shattered it into pieces.

Rinoa staggered to her feet and looked around, the ground at her feet looked darker than the rest of the world, and she stepped away from it. She felt someone take her elbow, and she pulled away. It was one of the men who had tried to shoot her. She stared at him, but he was no longer shooting, or even looked murderous. What was going on?

"Selphie, no!" Squall shouted, but it was too late. Selphie materialised

in front of Rinoa.

Rinoa jumped, but did not scream. She wondered instead how much alcohol she had consumed to be creating these hallucinations.

The blond man who had taken her elbow to steady her stepped away, but the girl who had appeared out of nothing continued to come closer. Rinoa reconsigned her as the girl from the bar, and then looked past her.

Squall stared, he remembered her face now, the Bleaks had found this girl in the bar. Maybe they should have paid her more attention.

"She's human alright," Selphie said staring with squinted eyes. "Whoops!" she added, realising that she would be in trouble for appearing before a human.

"Idiot," Seifer muttered under his breath, and Selphie scowled at him.

Squall holstered his gun.

"You need to go home," he instructed Rinoa.


	3. The Three Strangers

**A/N:** Thank you to Hououza, Peaceful Dragon Rose, Rin Seren, Freyjadour, and xYuna, for the reviews! All the characters do eventually meet up, but until then there is multiple storylines. This chapter doesn't switch though. Thanks for reading!!

Ps, the title of this fic has been changed... I'm terrible at making decisions.

'**The Three Strangers'**

**FRIDAY MORNING**

**04: 30**

Rinoa raised as shaking finger at Squall, her mouth opened, and yet she struggled to find the words she wanted. She continued to point at him for a few moments, and then looked at the others as if one of them might speak for her.

"You...you..." she stammered. "You nearly shot me!"

"He's been doing that a lot tonight," the strange girl muttered with a sideways glance to her blond friend.

"Don't remind me," he said folding his arms, as if the thought had sent a chill up his spine. Leonhart was a pretty good shot, but Seifer still didn't appreciate being in the way of his aim. But it was better than being smothered to death by a Bleak, at least a bullet would give him a chance.

"I haven't got time for this," Squall said turning his back on her. "Just go home."

Rinoa stared at him, just the fact that he was walking away, after nearly shooting her, angered her more that anything else. How dare he? Who the hell did he think he was? No one tried to hurt her and got away from it, and how dare he walk away without giving her an apology, or at the very least an explanation.

"Hey!" Rinoa shouted, before running forwards to confront him. "What do you mean, 'go home' like it isn't a big deal? You could have killed me! ... and don't get me started on the other weird crap that just went on back there."

Squall stared at her, slightly stunned that she wasn't scared of him. He didn't move, even though she was screaming in his face. His thoughts were elsewhere, as to why this seemingly uninteresting girl was so attractive to the undead. She looked pretty ordinary, one hundred percent human...at least he thought so. He wasn't strong enough to read her aura. He'd never been any good at that. Regardless of his wondering, it was clear that this girl was not going to back down. Had she done so, he might have forgotten her, chalking it up to be another odd thing that happened in his ever increasingly random life. But the fact that she was no longer frightened, just angrily demanding an explanation, made him think that perhaps fate had put her in their path for a reason.

"What's your name?" he asked. He saw her eyes flash with confusion at the question.

She stepped back a bit, the question catching her off guard. She had expected him to start shouting back at her, or begin walking away again, but it seemed that something of what she had said must have gotten through. It took her a second to calm down enough to answer.

"Rinoa," she said a bit uncertain, as if his question had been some kind of trick. Why did he want to know anyway? Maybe it was to distract her so that his friend could finish off the job of shooting her? She looked round at the blond man, but he was just stood with his arms folded, in such a casual way that he looked bored. He certainly didn't look like he had any murderous thoughts at present.

Squall thought about her name. It wasn't familiar. He hadn't heard anything of her before. If she had supernatural powers, then they must be newly acquired. It seemed unlikely that she'd be unaware of them... but then her shock at seeing Selphie appear out of thin air made him question. Magical abilities were closely guarded, and watched over by the supernatural community. Jealousy was rife, and no one wanted to let a neighbour become too powerful, and be left behind. It was a good enough reason for Rinoa to want to be off the radar so to speak, to live a near to an ordinary life as possible.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Squall asked.

"I don't know... I guess I just..." Rinoa stopped trying to explain. She didn't know why she had felt the need to go wandering though the town, instead of taking the taxi with her friends. Nothing she could say would make any sense. And even if she could think of something, why was it any of his business anyway?

"Perhaps she was looking for us?" the blond man suggested.

Rinoa turned to face him. Why would she be looking for them? She didn't even know them.

"No, I wasn't... why would I be?"

Seifer shrugged. He didn't look at her again, instead began shifting his belt around on his hips, Rinoa watched his hands skim over his gun, just in case he should think of using it. Her eyes lingered on him rather than looking back the man before her. They were carrying weapons, and had given her an opportunity to go home, and yet she was still firmly standing her ground. The only reason she could think of, was an underlying feeling that, these people were not the ones she needed to be afraid of.

"You haven't been looking for us?" Squall asked, sounding sceptical.

Rinoa raised an eyebrow at him. Why would it be hard to believe? Unless people regularly threw themselves in their way, just hoping to be shot. The strange girl, whose skin seemed to be glowing under the streetlamps, skipped towards them, as if she was dancing through the air.

"Squall, she doesn't know anything," she said, her head tilted towards her left shoulder, as she studied Rinoa with vague confusion. "I think she's lost. You should take her home. It's dangerous out... for a girl..."

Rinoa didn't know why, but this suggestion appeared to anger the man referred to as Squall, the one that had nearly shot her, and Rinoa took a few more steps away.

"I'm not wasting my time..." Squall began, facing the odd girl.

"Squall!" Selphie shouted, making Rinoa jump. Even Squall looked concerned, and Rinoa had the feeling that if the girl hung around in this company, she could probably hold her own pretty well.

"Don't anger the freak," the blond man warned, but he wasn't going to come any closer either. Out of everyone, he was the one Rinoa was less afraid of at the moment, but not enough to go any nearer to him.

"Shut up Seifer," the girl said, flipping the comment over her shoulder. "You're not helping."

Seifer laughed, and then walked towards Rinoa. She tried not to appear alarmed, but she had no idea what he wanted.

"I say we get her home. Squall, if she stays she'll attract more Bleaks, and we'll be here until sun-up."

Squall turned to look up the street, to where the sun would indeed rise in a few more hours. Seifer was right, as much as he hated to get involved with others and their problems, this girl couldn't be left here, and if she was then she'd only cause them more trouble.

"Fine."

Rinoa jumped as the strange girl took her hand, and then she watched the others come in closer and hold onto the girl also.

"Where do you live Rinoa?"

She had only just found the answer in her own mind, before she had the sensation of moving, as if travelling in a car. She didn't dare look away from the girl's eyes, afraid of the feeling, and worried that she might see something impossible. She had the strange idea that she was inside of a book, and they had just jumped out of the inked story and were waiting whilst someone turned the page. The odd sensation stopped, and she found herself alone on her doorstep. A streak of golden light fled down the road so quickly that she thought she had imagined it, then she fumbled in her bag for her door key, desperate to get inside before the internal questioning began.


	4. Thoughts

**'Thoughts'**

**FRIDAY MORNING**

**05:00**

Rinoa closed her eyes at last, after having spent a moment in the kitchen gulping down a glass of water, then heading to the bathroom to wash away the remains of her make-up. She had studied her face as she brushed her teeth; her brown eyes had been tinged with red after she had accidentally gotten some soap into them. Not only did she feel tired, but she looked it also.

Perhaps physical exhaustion was a blessing, as she knew that when she was rested she'd have a mountain of questions to run through her mind. She also knew that she'd have no answers that would be rational and if she had been in any state to begin thinking now, she'd never get to sleep.

With eyes now closed and a floating feeling washing over her, Rinoa realised that she'd been up for nearly twenty-four hours. It wasn't something she wanted to do again in a hurry. At least tomorrow was Saturday and she wouldn't have to wake up to the sound of her screeching alarm.

"She's asleep," Selphie said looking back from the window to the two men in the room. Only one nodded, the other scoffed.

"Are you mentally stalking people now?" Seifer asked. Although in truth he didn't really mind Selphie, it was just that winding her up was more fun than being pleasant. Whilst Squall might stand up for her from time to time, it wasn't often. He had a sneaking suspicion that Squall was just glad that he wasn't the one on the receiving end of his jibes for once.

Selphie scowled. Of all the people she could have been magically bound to, Seifer Almasy was the worst imaginable. It was impossible to fulfil her debt, since the man was too good at saving his own life. Even if she had thought she had helped him out a million times, the magic or 'curse' as she liked to call it, didn't agree.

"I can feel people…the more I see someone, the stronger it is," Selphie explained, knowing that if Seifer was in one of his teasing moods she would have been better off staying quiet.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Selphie said sticking her chin out defiantly. "Like…I can tell when _you_ are thirsty."

Seifer smirked.

"Can you tell when I'm horny?" he asked watching her blush and become outraged all at once.

"Squall?" she appealed, hoping that he'd take her side and tell Seifer to shut up. But he was far away, daydreaming again.

"What?" he asked oblivious to what was happening.

"Forget it," Selphie snapped, stomping across the room and leaving, slamming the door behind her.

They were staying in the first hotel they had found. Sometimes it was safer to stay in the area, rather than hopping across distances in order to recharge energy levels. With so many Bleaks in the area, Squall had no doubt that they would be out there looking for them. He thought it likely that Selphie's flying had attracted their attention, even if they did appear to be staying away for now. A large jump across town would certainly be noticed and only serve to draw them in.

"You shouldn't piss her off so much," Squall warned standing up from the sofa, and taking hold of the cushions. He hated sharing a room with the others, but it couldn't be helped. Funds had been low lately, with no opportunities to make money.

The cushions found their way onto the floor and into a pile, as Squall threw them out of the way.

"Why not? It's fun," Seifer said lazily watching Squall do all the work of turning the sofa into a bed. "She's good for nothing else."

"That isn't true," Squall said but his mind on the task in hand. He missed Seifer's amused laugh.

"Should I leave you two alone?"

Squall didn't even bother answer that. Instead he continued to make up his bed. He didn't even bother trying to convince Seifer to give up one of the comfortable beds either, it would just never happen.

**05:00**

Zell looked out of the window. He had been sitting in his living room ever since his blonde visitor had left. His home was not an ordinary one, at least not what someone would expect the home of a young man living alone to be. Rather than being filled with the latest gadgets and the largest flat-screen TV that could be afforded, it was instead adorned with the unusual.

The living room was filled with books, overflowing from the bookcase and stacked up against the walls. A battered wooden table and equally sorry looking chair were pushed up against the window, covered with unorganised papers and unwashed mugs.

The young man sat in the middle of the room on an old sofa, a book in his hand but his eyes no longer looking at its words. It was beginning to rain but that was not what bothered him. He was thinking back to what he had told his visitor. It seemed unlikely that she would have believed anything that he had told her.

Most people thought he was a charlatan, making money from gullible people, but his clients tended to think otherwise. Most of the time he made his money doing tricks for children at parties. Doing the usual, pulling rabbits out of hats, and changing white handkerchiefs into a string of coloured ones. Occasionally he did the unusual, such as calling in birds from the garden to fly around the room.

But it was the work he did in unsociable hours that was the most interesting. He often joined others for ghost hunting; always eager to assist someone who had a genuine interest, on a quest to prove their existence. Or holding a séance to contact the recently departed. Occasionally he had chased a poltergeist from a family home, which had been terrorising said family for years.

But it was the people that came to him with a belief that they had been cursed that proved the hardest to deal with. Rarely were people genuinely cursed nowadays, but they _were_ suffering.

The Bleaks were the bane of his life. Following him along streets, hungering after the magic he possessed. Always watching him, hovering around his house and drifting past the windows. They attached themselves to his unfortunate clients, and refused to be removed without a struggle.

But even the Bleaks couldn't irritate him as much these days, not since he had been contacted by something more intruding. The paranormal investigator gave the Bleaks a run for their money when it came down to whom he'd rather meet in a dark alley. But today he felt as if he had met someone different from the norm.

Although Quistis Trepe was seeking to write a book on the paranormal, she was keen to search out new material. Rather than ask about the usual, vampires, ghosts and ghouls, she had been searching for something different. But where she had first heard about Bleaks, he had no idea. He had the feeling however that she would soon be back.

A collection of butterflies glinted at him from their case on the wall, the light reflecting on their wings and the pins that held them in place. Zell had acquired them at an antique shop, along with the painting of the sea in the moonlight next to them. Old things held his curiosity. He could feel when an object had been well loved, or had been despised.

He thought again about Quistis Trepe. She had had a good aura. She would come back.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note

: I'm not too sure whether I am answering any of your questions yet or not. I am trying not to give too much away at this stage, but I also don't want it to be irritating or confusing! Hope that you liked, please review! 


	5. The Call

**A/N: **Thanks everyone for the reviews! Not really sure what to say this time…just hope you all like. Please review!

'_**The Call'**_

**FRIDAY AFTERNOON**

**13:00**

Rinoa awoke with a terrible headache and a craving for coffee. Stumbling into the kitchen she opened the fridge. As per usual it was empty, one of the down sides of no longer living with parents. Groaning, she realised she had forgone food shopping in order to buy a new outfit for the night. Now she regretted that decision as she rubbed her stomach, knowing that if she didn't eat soon she'd begin to feel ill. There was little point in making a coffee if there was nothing to eat afterwards. So trudging back to her bedroom and changing into her sweatpants and hoodie, Rinoa jammed her feet into trainers and grabbed her handbag.

Her flat might not have been in the most glamorous of areas, but at least she was only a few minutes away from the shops. Ten minutes of walking took her past the small hairdressers and into the newsagents. Once inside Rinoa picked up a basket and began to fill it with all sorts of fattening foods; doughnuts, readymade milkshake, bacon and finally the local paper.

Standing in the queue Rinoa tried to focus on anything other than her empty stomach and looked at the advertisements in the window. Suddenly something caught her eye, in big black letters on a piece of white card: **Quistis Trepe,** **Paranormal Investigator**. Putting her items on the counter, she absentmindedly paid before wandering away towards the window. Taking the card she wondered whether she should pay it any mind. It had caught her eyes after all.

She knew that if she called this number she'd be admitting that something weird had really happened and that she believed in something supernatural. But if she didn't call, then she could forget about it. Pretend it never happened.

Like hell she could forget. She was calling the number.

A woman with a professional sounding voice answered the phone. She wasn't what Rinoa was expecting to hear, having imagined twinkling bells and more mystery.

"Hi, my name is Rinoa…I was wondering if you could give me some advice?" she asked as she slowly walked back home.

"What sort of advice?" the woman asked.

"I er…" Rinoa paused. What was she doing? Was she really going to tell this stranger all about her weird adventure? "I met some odd people the other day…I mean I saw some strange things… one of them sorta appeared out of thin air, I think that they were out looking for something but I got in the way. Sorry, you must think I'm crazy…sorry for wasting your time." She was about to hang up when the woman began to protest.

"No, listen I'm interested in what you've seen. Can we meet? Somewhere public of course. Where are you? I'll drive to you."

Rinoa looked around. Further up the road was a café, if she dropped her food home then came back…A café was a public place, it would be safe to meet there. Making the arrangements Rinoa hung up, then allowed herself to worry all the way home.

The woman who walked through the doors fitted the businesswoman's voice that Rinoa had heard on the phone. Her long blonde hair was pulled back with a simple clip and her plain clothes hid away any trace of identity. Rinoa gave her a brief smile as she walked over to join her.

"Rinoa?"

"Yes."

"My name is Quistis Trepe, may I?" she pulled the opposite chair out from under the table but waited for an answer before she sat.

Rinoa nodded for her to join her. She hadn't been able to wait for her company, her rumbling stomach getting the better of her. She'd ordered her own drink and bacon sandwich as soon as she was able.

"I'd like to know what you saw, if you still want to tell me?" Quistis said before stopping the waitress and ordering coffee.

Rinoa began to repeat the strange occurrences of the night. Quistis said nothing as Rinoa spoke, letting her say what she needed to without any interruptions. Instead of asking questions she made notes and nodded her head to show that she was interested. In the end Rinoa talked herself into silence and Quistis looked up from her page of notes.

"I don't think I can answer these questions for you Rinoa…but I think I know someone who can. Want to take a chance?"

**15:30**

Selphie folded her arms as she leant against the wooden headboard of her bed. Still half covered with the heavy blankets she stared at her two companions. Seifer was spread eagled on his back in a star shape, with the blankets twisted around his leg and draped across his middle. Something about the way he was lying annoyed her. He could even be cocky in his sleep, not needing to curl up to feel safe.

Under her irritated gaze he rubbed at his nose before flinging his arm back down on the bed. In contrast to Seifer's haphazard way of sleeping, Squall was still in the same position that he had started in. Back to her, on his side, facing the door. As if he wanted to be as far away from them both as possible. She wondered if she slept in a funny way too. If she asked Seifer he'd only tease her, making out that she did all number of strange things. There was no way that she would even consider asking Squall.

Not that she could really complain about being in the same room. If she wanted to she could go anywhere she liked. Provided she didn't mind the risk of waking up some Bleaks and then dealing with them alone. Plus the fact that she tended to become lonely when not in company, even if the people available to talk to were annoying; it was better than nothing.

Throwing the blankets back she weaved her way around the room into the bathroom and locked the door. Having made it to the bathroom first she decided to make the best of it by claiming the complimentary towel and running a bath.

Her peace was disturbed ten minutes later by someone knocking loudly on the door.

"Oi, who said you can go in there?" Seifer shouted still hitting the door.

Selphie rolled her eyes. She'd been foolish to think that her peace could last. Next chance she got she would make a break for freedom. Maybe it was about time she put some space between them, she'd been with them a week now. Things had been hectic lately, more so than usual. The Bleaks didn't tend to lurk around one town as much as they had this one. Once they emptied a town of it's unwelcome guests, the trio would move on, taking a small break to recharge their energy. However their usual routine might not work here. The amount of Bleaks here was unusual to say the least.

Neither Seifer nor Squall had mentioned anything about this, and Selphie had the sense that they were keeping something from her. She worried that they still didn't trust her. Sighing she lay further back into the water.

"I asked you a question!" Seifer yelled now rattling the handle.

"I'm having a bath," Selphie shouted back.

"It better not be a long bath, I have to shave."

Selphie smiled to herself; there was nothing on earth that was going to get her out of this bath. Not unless Seifer got down on his knees and begged her. Anyway, he could survive without a shave; she needed a bath… girls needed baths.

Closing her eyes she began to relax, until the door flew open and Seifer stomped into the room. Jolting upright and covering her chest with her arms, her face contorted into an expression of horror.

"What the hell? Get out!"

Scrabbling for the towel, Selphie tried not to let Seifer see anything he shouldn't, whilst attempting to keep some of her dignity. How dare he come barging in, breaking the lock on the door and disrespecting her privacy? She glared at him as she wrapped the towel securely around herself.

"I told you," Seifer said lathering up his face. "I had to shave."

"If you think I'm going to let you get away with this…" Selphie warned pointing her finger into his face. "Urgh!"

Quickly drying herself as she wandered back into the bedroom she shot Squall's empty bed an evil stare. Where had he gone? Neither of them had even been awake when she had gone into the bathroom, did they do it on purpose? That's it she'd had enough. Screw Squall's rules of not drawing unnecessary attention; if she stayed any longer she'd end up killing someone. Closing her eyes and calling her magic, she faded into the air around her and shot out of the open window in a stream of gold.

**15:50**

Zell looked up at the sky as the golden streak of light flew overhead. Sometimes he found it hard to believe that no one else saw this kind of crazy stuff. They couldn't all be looking the other way all the time could they? He'd spoken to so-called other 'magicians' but they just looked at him blankly, or stared at him as if he was mad. In the end he'd kept it to himself and scratched out a living via those that believed in what he could see.

Quistis was going to come back to see him today, he could feel it. Therefore he decided to quickly tidy the front room. He hadn't made much of an effort before, not that anyone ever seemed to care. But if she could be bothered to come back and talk to him again, then he could at least offer her a comfortable seat.

All he needed to do was wait.


	6. Joining Forces

**A/N: **Erm, yeah Friday is an extremely long day! But shock horror, next chapter will be Saturday!! Thanks for the reviews guys, it means a lot to hear your comments, especially since this is a different kind of fic from what I've been writing recently. :)

'**Joining forces'**

**FRIDAY 17:00**

Zell's doorbell rang but he was already standing next to it, waiting. All afternoon he had been waiting for the visitor he had felt he was going to be welcoming. Moments before the bell rang he had wandered out into the hallway to wait. Opening the door slowly, he saw Quistis standing outside expectantly and another girl behind her with dark hair. The girl he hadn't met before looked nervous. Her arms were folded against more than the cold wind and there was a glow of sadness about her.

"Hello, I hope this isn't a bad time. I was hoping I could speak to you again," Quistis said politely. She was desperate that Zell not turn her away. "This is Rinoa," she added turning to the girl behind her.

Zell's eyes darted past her to Rinoa. She looked uneasy, but that wasn't all. There was something wrong with her aura. It wasn't complete and he didn't know what to do about that. He'd only ever seen one other person like that before and it hadn't ended well.

"Hi," she said with a small smile.

"You'd best come in then," Zell said pushing the door wide open and leading the way into the living room.

The room had already been set up for visitors, which made Quistis hesitate at the doorway. He was clearly waiting for someone, so maybe now hadn't been a good time to stop by.

"Come on, take a seat. I've been waiting for you," Zell said, welcoming them as best he could. He took a seat at the dining table, leaving the sofa free for his guests.

They sat next to one another awkwardly looking around the room. Rinoa shot Quistis a concerned look. Quistis had not told her much about Zell, only that he would be able to tell her more about what she had seen. She knew that Quistis was interested in her story and wanted to know more also. She had told Rinoa all about the book she was writing, about investigating the paranormal.

She felt as if she had fallen into another world, where rather than being told to shut up about her fairy stories, she was being encouraged. The last time anything of this kind had been talked of was when her mother had been alive, and then she had only considered it to be works of the imagination.

"Our conversation ended rather abruptly last time," Quistis said whilst looking through her bag. "But I gave what you said some thought, you know, about the Bleaks, and er…" She switched on her Dictaphone and clicked her pen into action. "I believe I've now met someone who knows about their existence too."

Rinoa waited for something more, until she realised that Quistis was talking about her. Bleaks. Yes, that's what Quistis had called them in the café. Shadowy creatures that slinked through the night. She hadn't elaborated much, but had assured Rinoa that Zell, the magician, would know more.

Zell didn't look like a magician to her. Or at least, not what she imagined a magician to look like. He was a similar age as her, with gelled hair and dressed in baggy cut off jeans, skate shoes and a short-sleeved black shirt. If she'd passed him in the street she wouldn't have taken notice, just marking him as an average teen. Yet, she felt he really did know something.

"Yes, um, last night I met these three people," Rinoa said self consciously. "Two blokes and a girl."

Zell nodded but said nothing.

"The two guys had guns, at first I thought they were trying to shoot me… but now that I think back… there was something else there. A presence. It was all around me. As if, I dunno… it was making me ill or something. But the bullets hit it, and it shattered like glass."

She paused. Zell was listening very intently and Quistis was making notes.

"It was dark, like a puddle of ink by my feet. Then the girl appeared out of nowhere, directly in front of me. Like magic!" Rinoa said waving her hand in front of her to show how far away the girl had been. "They were angry about that. They told me to go home and before I knew it they had hold of me and there was this weird feeling and I was home!"

"I didn't go out looking for trouble, I was just walking home, and then they run towards me. Honest, I'm not making this up," Rinoa insisted.

"Did they speak their names?" Zell asked.

Rinoa thought, then nodded. She remembered, but hadn't given it much thought, more concerned about the stuff that happened.

"Yes, they called each other, Seifer and Squall."

From the shade of white that Zell turned she thought he might have died. She watched him slowly coming back to life and could see him thinking.

No, it couldn't be true, Zell thought. He stood and began pacing.

"No, I can't be…" he mumbled, a distressed look on his face. "No, no… can't…can't…"

"What? What's wrong?" Quistis asked intrigued.

Zell stared at her for a moment as if she was mad, and then continued to walk.

"The avengers, the ones that were summoned," he said still pacing. "A long time ago, hundreds of years ago, a group of magicians summoned two warriors from another dimension, to hunt the Bleaks and the ones that made them. But they didn't realise the scale of that quest and the warriors were forced to stay in this dimension until the quest was completed."

"Warriors," Rinoa repeated in a dazed voice. "From another dimension?"

"Are you sure you heard their names correctly?" Zell demanded suddenly.

"Yes," Rinoa replied indignantly. It might be a far-fetched story, but she knew what she'd seen and heard.

"I thought it was legend," Zell whispered. "Just stories. But why would you know about it?" he asked Rinoa.

She shrugged.

"They're a big deal then?" Quistis asked.

"A big deal? They are the deal! Seriously, didn't I just say they were legends? They cannot return home you know, not until every Bleak is eradicated from the Earth. Pretty tall order right? They are trapped here. Never growing old, never changing. Doomed to hunt Bleaks eternally until their quest ends."

"Sounds wonderful. I'd be pretty pissed," Rinoa said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I imagine they are pretty pissed off," Zell agreed ignoring the sarcasm.

"It's unlikely that they'll kill all the Bleaks then?" Quistis asked thoughtfully. From what Zell was saying, it sounded like there was an unending supply of the little blighters. Bleaks were clearly always on the production line.

"OK," Rinoa said shaking her head. "You're telling me that those guys were from another dimension? You know, just to clarify and get my story straight for when I'm in the loony bin."

Zell sat back down, his brow furrowed in deep thought. Something big must be on the move if the legendary warriors were in town. He had felt things were not right for some time and now he was certain. It was a bad time to be on the magical radar and to be noticeable enough to be a target. To stand a chance against what could come at them, they needed to stick together.

"I need you to help me find them," he said decidedly.

"What? No. I do have a life you know, I can't go tracking people down. Besides, these ain't normal people," Rinoa said scooting to the edge of the sofa in case she needed to make a quick getaway. "And I want to know more about these Bleaks."

Zell looked frustrated for a moment, and then sat down. Ordinary non-magical folk were always so difficult to reason with; never seeing the dangers that he could see.

"What's your full name?" he asked Rinoa. "Why should you have seen what you did? What makes you special?"

She frowned.

"Rinoa Heartilly," she answered ignoring his impertinence. Once again he looked surprised.

"Heartilly," he repeated as if slotting a piece of a puzzle together. "Interesting."

"Why?"

"You wanted to know more about the Bleaks, well I can't tell you much, but I'll tell you what I know," Zell said, changing to subject to something he hoped Rinoa wouldn't be able to resist, even for the mystery of her name. "They hunt the weak spirited, the sad and lonely, or those that have not lifted their magical shields. Suffering is a powerful human trait and the Bleaks love anything powerful. They'll suck the life from a person without them knowing. The only thing that can kill them is silver."

"Why?" Rinoa asked.

"I don't know," Zell confessed. "But if you want to find out, help me find Seifer and Squall."

"Why do you want to find them?" Rinoa asked sceptical.

"Because I hunt Bleaks also and I reckon we could make a pretty good team… All of us."

There was a confused pause until Quistis spoke.

"Wait a minute, all of us?" she asked. "What do you mean, all of us?"

Rinoa looked at Zell with an eyebrow raised. She had thought the guy was pretty ordinary to begin with, now she thought he was nuts. But nothing could answer why she believed him. Why did everything make sense? It was mad, all of it. Completely mad and yet she felt she was simply hearing things that deep down she already knew.

"How could I help?" Rinoa asked.

"Well first of all you can learn how to raise your shields. You're like a walking magnet for every Bleak in a five-mile radius. Seriously, a witch shouldn't be so bloody careless," he told Rinoa. "And you," he said rounding on Quistis, "Need to tell the world a darned good story, and this is it."

"I suppose you'll be wanting a share of the profits," she qipped with a slight smile.

"Of course, this show doesn't fund it's self you know," Zell said rubbing his hands together.

Rinoa looked at Quistis and saw that she had the same, 'oh what the hell' expression. Nothing exciting ever happened, they'd be stupid to turn an adventure down, even if it was with a mad man. They smiled in agreement then turned to Zell.

"Seventy forty," Quistis offered.

"Deal," Zell said shaking her hand. "And you?"

"Alright, sure, I'm in," Rinoa said as casually as she could manage, even though her heart was thumping. This was the start of something big; she could feel it. "And, who are you calling a witch?"


	7. Irvine's Mission

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews guys! The story is starting to take shape now I think…I hope… It does all come together in the end I promise! Thanks again**!**

**_'Irvine's Mission'_**

**SATURDAY MORNING **

**02:45**

It was early Saturday morning and only one person was on the deadly quiet street. He stopped for a moment and looked up at the dark sky, speckled with stars. Whatever he was looking for he didn't find in the heavens and he continued on his journey.

Irvine was a tall man, with long brown hair tied carelessly back. His face was pale and was only skin on show. From head to toe he protected himself from the sun, with a dark brown cowboy hat, long light brown coat and dark gloves. His legs were clad in tan trousers ending in heavy boots.

He was walking quickly down the road, his shadow growing and falling away as he passed by the streetlamps. A car crawled along the road towards him; it's headlights illuminating him like a spotlight. He slowed his steps, squinting to make out the registration number. Yes he was waiting for someone, but he hadn't expected to meet them on this street. It was the correct car, large, dark and imposing, crawling along at an intimidating pace.

Irvine stopped walking and watched as the window rolled down. A swirl of cigarette smoke drifted out into the cold night air from inside the car. Irvine leant down to peer closer and the door opened.

"Get in," a hoarse voice ordered.

Irvine knew the voice well; it was the stuff of nightmares. He had not wanted to see this man ever again, but times were hard when you were on your own. He'd tried to escape, only to realise that he needed the protection of the syndicate in order to survive.

"Well well, it is a surprise to see that you're still alive," the man remarked as Irvine climbed into the car.

The light in the car was a filtered version of the light outside, creeping around the black sunshades on the windows.

"I don't see why," Irvine said. OK life might be tough alone, but he wasn't defenceless. Far from it. He knew how to take care of himself and he suspected that that was why he was being welcomed back into the fold. They would want something from him in return. Nothing ever came for free after all.

The man simply laughed, a dark laugh of someone who knew it would go unchallenged. The young man beside him might be powerful, but he was no match for him. He could kill him now without the driver of the car even realising anything was wrong.

The man's name was Foster. Irvine didn't know if that was his true name or something he'd stolen from another, nor did he care. Foster was going to be paying his wages from now on and that was all that mattered to him. Or at least he hoped it would be. He didn't want to know the in's and out's of what was going on anymore, he just wanted to survive.

* * *

"She's still not back," Squall remarked as he looked out of the window. He could see Seifer reflected in the glass behind him. He was sat on the bed, his legs crossed out in front of him. In his hand was a carton of take away fried rice and in the other was a can of cider.

"I dunno why you care so much," he said setting the can down on the bed beside him and picking up his fork. With a mouthful of takeaway he said, "She'll come back. She always does."

"Whether you like it or not, she's one of us now."

Seifer snorted and took a swig of his drink. He pointed the remote at the TV and flicked through the channels. He hated staying in cheap hotels; the TV channel selection was always rubbish. His actions spoke volumes to Squall. He didn't care at all about where Selphie had gone.

"Yeah yeah. Can't you shut up? I'm trying to watch TV here," he said refusing to look away from the TV.

Squall looked back out into the darkness.

"Are you going to eat that?" Seifer asked nodding towards Squall's share of the takeout. Squall removed himself the window and retrieved his meal, if he left it any longer he'd lose it to Seifer. He hated to admit it but he was probably right, Selphie always came back. It was if she couldn't help it, always being drawn back to them whenever they might be. Even if it seemed she still wanted to be miles away.

Food in hand Squall couldn't help but wander back to the window, hoping to see Selphie walking into the reception of the hotel. But there was no one outside and Selphie didn't need to use the door in order to get into the building anyway. A black car travelled past the hotel, smoothly without any sound as if it was attempting to sneak by. Squall didn't know why but there was something not right about the scene. As if the car shouldn't be there at all.

"Seifer," Squall said watching the car. It had slowed outside of the hotel and was crawling.

"What?" Seifer replied glued to the TV. "Ahh, come on!" he complained. Squall looked back to find that the TV had just lost it's signal and was showing a static screen.

"There's something not right about this…" Squall said looking back outside. The car had stopped now. He felt Seifer's presence next to him, looking over his shoulder. Under their gaze the car moved on down the road and away from their street. As soon as it was gone the TV sparked back into life.

* * *

Irvine looked over his shoulder at the road they were leaving. He couldn't believe what he was being asked to do. It was insane and cruel. But he needed the money and if he was honest, he was tired of scratching a living on his own. The syndicate had ideas and did things that he didn't approve of, but it was the only place in the world where he could be himself.

"The girl is the one that I'm after," Foster said as they drove away. "Things are getting boring, I want something to distract me."

Irvine tried to keep the look of disgust from his face. To him Foster looked old, with grey streaks in his black hair, and lines around his eyes. The fact that he was after a young girl made him sick. Not any girl either, one that was lost just like him. Could he really help this creep find her?

"I know that she was with these men," Foster said. "I want her for my… collection."

There was more than one girl trapped in a hell made by Foster? Irvine looked away in shock.

"And then what?" he asked.

"Then I will consider you're betrayal forgotten. But if you fail me, or betray me again…" he made sure he caught Irvine's worried eye. "There won't be another chance. Understand?"

Irvine understood that that meant death. Also that he didn't have a choice here. Refuse and he'd be killed now.

"Alright. I'll find her."


	8. The hunt for Silver

**A/N: **Thank for the reviews for the last chapter. I haven't been answering any questions, because…well the answers are on the way. But please keep them coming! Thanks again!

'**The hunt for Silver'**

**SATURDAY AFTERNOON**

**16:40**

Squall followed Seifer down the busy shopping high-street, keeping his gaze away from others that looked their way. He disliked the attention that they drew from the unsuspecting public, just as much as Seifer revelled in it. He watched the blond man grin at a group of young girls, sending them into fits of giggles and deep blushes. Squall rolled his eyes and continued to walk.

Created as warriors in their own world, they seemed cut from another cloth compared to the domestic man walking the same street. Like fighters fresh from the battlefield, their muscles were primed ready to react. Their skin free from blemish, and their movements purposeful, they drew an enviable eye from most, wishing they could move with the same confidence.

"Would you stop eyeing up the female population?" Squall said disapprovingly as he caught up with Seifer.

"Hey, the one in the skirt is fit," Seifer retorted, turning back and giving her another smile.

"She also looks about twelve," Squall said. He dug his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. The wind was picking up, and within it he could feel the start of rain.

"You're just jealous. Let's all be celibate forever, excellent plan."

"I didn't say that," Squall replied annoyed. "But we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."

Seifer stopped in his tracks and turned to face the smaller man. They had been comrades for longer than he cared to remember, but it didn't mean they had to like one another. Constant arguing had given way of the years to ignoring each other and compromise. But still, Seifer couldn't understand why Squall reacted to things the way he did. Like now, what was his problem?

"We've been here for bloody ages. Face it, we ain't going home any time soon. So what I want to find myself a girl?" Seifer demanded. He couldn't understand why Squall always wanted to keep a low profile. So what if the Bleaks knew where they were, bring them on. He hadn't met anything yet that he couldn't kill.

Squall didn't reply, instead continued to walk. He felt Seifer's question still lying heavy in the air and he knew he couldn't ignore him.

"Things aren't the same as they used to be. Everything's changed," Squall said quietly. Although they had reached the end of the high-street and the crowds had thinned, he didn't want anyone overhearing them. He felt he had gotten Seifer's attention, even if he was looking sceptical. "I think the Bleaks are just the start."

"Start of what?"

"Something new."

Seifer there was little point pressing for further clarity. But in some strange way he felt like he knew what Squall was talking about anyway. Things had started to change. The Bleaks were hunting in bigger groups than normal. There were constant reports on the TV now about suicides, in bigger numbers and geographically closer than usual. Weakened by a Bleak and drained of happiness, victims were often tempted to take their own lives.

Usually they managed to destroy the Bleaks before the people decided to destroy themselves. But recently they had been distracted by the sheer volume and couldn't identify those most at risk.

"We're being followed," Squall said casually.

"By what?" Seifer asked mimicking Squall's calm tone. They continued to walk as before, then they crossed the road to the other side.

"I don't know," Squall replied. "It looks like a man, but it isn't," he said. "There."

Seifer followed where Squall was looking and saw a man with long brown hair, tied back, walking ahead of them. He didn't look their way, instead maintained a steady pace. Then, he ran.

"Come on," Squall said hurrying after the man. They watched him turn down a side street and quickly followed. But as they turned off the main street they found the alley empty, completing in a dead end.

"What the hell?" Seifer exclaimed. "Where'd he go?"

Squall knew he'd been right in supposing that it hadn't been a regular guy following them. The question now being: what was he instead? Someone like them? Or…the something Squall had been worried was coming; a new calibre of foe?

Irvine watched the two men enter the alleyway from the roof of the tall building beside them. It had been a close call, as he had almost been caught by them. Listening to their conversation, it barely had time to register that they were on to him before they were the ones doing the following instead of him. He had moved quickly, but, damn they were fast. Flying past the public without them noticing. He had barely reached the alley when they were on his heels. He'd jumped without thinking about it, just desperate to get away.

Flying up into the sky, the wind and the rain hitting his face and turning his pale skin even colder. Landing on the roof with heavy footing, his normally clear and calculating mind muddled.

It would be a long time before he underestimated anyone again. These two were clearly more powerful than he had been led to believe. He wondered if Foster knew anything about them, or if he was simply interested in the girl?

Seifer gave up wondering what had happened before Squall, by turning and walking back out of the alley. He looked up and down the road for any stunned onlookers. They had moved fast through the crowds, too fast for the ordinary human to see. But not everyone was ordinary.

"OK," he said to Squall. "Point taken. We'll keep it on the low-low from now on."

Squall raised an eyebrow. He'd believe that when he saw it. But regardless of the odd event, they still had somewhere to be.

The shop was empty when they arrived, except for the girl sitting on the top of one of the glass counters. She gave them a grin when they looked her way.

"What took you so long?" Selphie asked, jumping down off the counter and brushing the dust off of her jeans. "I've been waiting ages."

"Where the hell have you been?" Seifer demanded.

"Aww," Selphie said, her hands clasped and pressed against her right cheek. "You missed me."

Seifer saw Squall smile. He knew he'd take Selphie's side, finding her jokes funny. He scowled at Squall.

"Shut up," he said to both of them, walking to the counter and pressing the customer bell. Its _ding_ reverberated through the shop and produced a small and bent-crooked old man from the storerooms.

"Hello," he greeted them with a discoloured smile and crinkled eyes. "How can I help you?"

"We're looking for anything silver," Squall told him. "We'll take anything you've got."

The old man frowned for a second at this odd request. He looked around his shop as he tried to think what he had to offer.

"It has to be genuine, old man," Seifer warned. Selphie shot him a warning look, to mind his tone.

The man looked affronted for a moment, then the promise of a sale seemed to help dissipate his mood. He led them to the side of the room where he had a selection of jewellery on offer. Selphie inspected them with a keen eye. The Pixie race was notorious for it's love of shiny things, and what Selphie didn't know about jewels and precious metals wasn't worth knowing. She seemed pleased with what she saw and that was enough for Squall.

"What about those candelabras?" he asked pointing at a nearby shelf.

"Yes, those are silver," the old man replied. "You want those?"

"We'll take everything."

It was Seifer who had discovered that cheap silver could be found in pawnshops. It certainly kept the costs down. They had had plenty of time to learn how to melt it down and fashion it into what they needed. They also knew how to make a little go a long way. Mixing metals did as well as pure silver, or at least it usually did. The Bleaks they had met recently had required something stronger.

The old man seemed pleased with his sale. As was the man outside of the shop looking in. Irvine had found the girl, now he just had to find the right time to separate her from her friends.


	9. Back Once More

**A/N:** Thank you everyone!! Answers on the way, promise, promise!

**Back Once More**

**SATURDAY EVENING**

**20:32**

It was kind of a long shot, but Rinoa could think of little else. Having now teamed up with oddball Zell the 'magician' and paranormal investigator Quistis, Rinoa didn't quite know what her role within the group would be. At the moment she had been assigned the task of finding the 'warriors' from another dimension. She stopped, hairbrush in hand halfway to her hair. She couldn't help the small disbelieving laugh that escaped her as she thought about what she agreed to.

Being the only one who knew what Squall and Seifer looked like; she had the heads-up compared to the others. She wondered how long their plan would last when they didn't find them tonight. The odds were so insane that the likelihood that they would return to the same club tonight was almost non-existent. No one went out two nights in a row, not unless they were on holiday or on a path to self-destruction.

Paracetemol was keeping the headache at bay and Rinoa was doing her best to stay alert. But she was in desperate need of sleep. From past experience she knew the night could either go one of two ways. One drink would either knock her out or send her into a hyper dizzy state. She hoping for the latter, at least that way she could forget about how damned insane her life had become.

Quistis' finger remained on the doorbell even after she heard it buzz on the other side of the door. She looked over her shoulder at the blond man still sitting in her car. Even though she had agreed to this, she still wasn't able to prevent the moments of scepticism that shook her resolve. In her heart she was what she claimed to be, an investigator. She couldn't base her world just on belief. She needed proof. It was this need that pushed her along, that forced her up the steps to Rinoa's house. If she didn't go looking for that proof, she'd never find her answers.

A quick sweep of the eye over Quistis' outfit of jeans and a conservative black top, instantly made Rinoa feel like the worlds biggest slut. Stepping out into the evening chill in her denim shorts and red halterneck, Rinoa wrapped her arms around her middle and hurried to the car. She saw Zell watch her progress eagerly, and for a moment wondered if it was entirely wise to get into a car with him.

"Hi," he said cheerfully as she slammed the car door against the cold breeze.

"Alright?" she replied in greeting. "Everyone knows this is a long shot, right?"

Quistis adjusted her glasses and raised an eyebrow at her via the mirror.

Zell didn't reply. He had been desperately trying to think of an answer as to Rinoa's broken aura. Unbeknownst to her he had tried his usual spells earlier that day. Seeing her walking towards the car, her aura still incomplete, he knew that nothing he had tried had worked. He knew immediately that it was beyond his capabilities to help. She was going to have to walk through life feeling like something was missing from her and there was nothing he could do about it.

As they drove through the town, Zell looked at the scattered few people on the pavement. Some faded into the background, others drew his attention. In the shadows, where the streetlights didn't reach, he saw a couple of Bleaks creeping across the buildings. Feeling the hairs on his arms standing on end, he suddenly had the notion that the Bleaks were looking at him. As if they were aware. He had never experienced this before; it had always been his belief that the Bleaks chose their prey at random.

He looked back at Rinoa. Perhaps the Bleaks weren't looking at him after all. They might be looking at her…

**20:45**

Seifer was once again pounding on the bathroom door. With the return of Selphie it meant that the queue for the shower had once again become longer. Always at the back of the line, Squall flicked through the TV channels. Not that he could hear anything over the never ending Selphie vs Seifer banter and arguing. The room began to close in on him, the space seeming smaller and smaller with every hollered word.

Eventually Selphie emerged looking harassed, a wisp of steam followed her out into the colder room. She stared up at Seifer with a defiant look, her eyes now framed in lashings of mascara. In the moment that they stared at each in a silent stand off, Squall decided to risk his life. Sneaking around Seifer, he slipped past Selphie and slammed the door.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me!" Seifer yelled.

**22:45 **

Rinoa had to admit that she was rather drunk; once again she was stumbling to the bathroom. Zell had been paying for drinks by plastic and Rinoa had lost count of how many rounds he had bought. Usually seeing her money deplete was a good sign of how much she had drunk. Quistis remained stone cold sober, despite their assurances that she could leave her car and take a taxi home with them.

Once in the bathroom she caught sight of someone she recognised. Fighting her way through the groups of people she caused some hurtful comments to be thrown her way from those she pushed past. Managing to jump the queue for the toilets, she had to explain to those that complained she was simply waiting for someone. Social etiquette could be violent at times.

Selphie was surprised to be tapped on the arm as she tried to leave the bustle of the ladies. Turning around she saw she had further reason to be surprised. Rinoa gave her a nervous smile, as if not quite knowing what her reaction might be.

"Rinoa!" Selphie exclaimed. She didn't quite know what more to say, nor could they really talk over all the other voices in the small room. She was glad that she wasn't in the glare of Seifer or Squall. She knew that they wouldn't want her talking with Rinoa, not that she had been mentioned since.

"Can I talk to you?" Rinoa asked, trying to form her words well so that Selphie could lip-read.

Selphie bit her lip nervously as she wondered how she could leave. She couldn't use her magic, the place was too crowded and someone would notice something. In the end she decided that if went outside the she could disappear into the night air without anyone seeing her.

"OK, follow me," Selphie said before weaving her way through the crowd.

The air outside was filled with smoke, as those with the little white sticks conversed together, sharing lighters and stories. Selphie had never seen the appeal of smoking and decided it must be one of those strange irrational human things. When she turned around she realised she had been joined, not only by Rinoa, but by two others she didn't know.

"What's going on?" she asked nervously. The sight of two strangers looking at her with questioning gazes didn't make her feel easy. She was always on edge, wondering if she would be found out for what she really was and today it appeared her luck had run out.

"Selphie, after what happened… well I couldn't just forget it, could I?" Rinoa said in an apologetic voice. "So… well I…"

She looked back at her friends for some help.

"Quistis Trepe, paranormal investigator. I'm investigating unusual occurrences," Quistis said holding out her hand for Selphie to shake. Selphie shook her hand quickly before taking a step away from the trio.

"And I'm Zell. Magician, Clairvoyant… Bleak hunter…"

Selphie turned a paler shade at the mention of the Bleaks. She had never met anyone, other than Seifer and Squall who knew what they were.

"Hunting what?" she replied, stunned and refusing to believe that these people could be a part of the same world she was. "How do you…?"

"We'd like to help you," Rinoa said. "And, we have some questions."

Selphie stared at them until she was sure they weren't some kind of dream. She was certainly not expecting to see Rinoa again, especially not with knowledge of the Bleak and brand-new friends. This wasn't something she could solve on her own.

"You need to speak to Squall," she said at last.


	10. New Friends

**A/N: **Update time! Thanks for the reviews guys!

'**New Friends'**

**SATURDAY NIGHT**

**23:12**

Squall lifted the bottle to his lips again and finished the content. Setting it back on the bar behind him, he tried to spot Seifer in the sea of busy people. He had left the hotel in a bad mood tonight, mainly because he'd been demoted to the back of the bathroom queue. Although, after claiming the bathroom, Squall didn't know why he had bothered. Selphie had made the place into a sauna and he had to spend the first ten minutes with the window open trying to de-steam the mirror.

As if knowing that Squall had finished his drink, Seifer appeared to his right.

"Your round," he said setting his pint glass down next to Squall's bottle.

"Same again?" Squall asked trying to catch the attention of the barman. There was little point in arguing; it always seemed to be his round. He wondered if he should order something for Selphie.

Just as he was about to order, Seifer nudged him hard in the ribs. The sudden pain stopped all thoughts and he turned to demand what the hell Seifer thought he was doing.

"No way, it's that chick. The one we met last night," Seifer said staring over the heads of the people on the dancefloor. Squall followed his eye line and spotted the dark-haired girl, behind her two others followed.

Immediately he sensed that the man behind her was a magic user. He couldn't say the same for the blonde woman, as she seemed strictly human. His gazed returned to the girl who had introduced herself as Rinoa. Her skin seemed a little too white in the dark, almost a little too flawless. That was a trademark stamp of a soul that had got a little too close to the paranormal, if ever he saw one. He suddenly realised that he had been too quick to dismiss this girl from his thoughts, and too reliant on Selphie's assessment: that she was just human.

"She's not attracting any Bleaks tonight," Seifer said before noticing that Squall seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. "She's attracting something else though…"

It took a while before Squall realised what Seifer meant. He frowned and looked away.

"Shut up," he demanded, knowing that his reaction was juvenile. He saw Seifer smirk.

"She's too sweet looking for me," Seifer said as if Rinoa would care for his opinion. Squall raised an eyebrow. "Now her, the blonde one… "

Squall rolled his eyes. He hoped that 'the blonde one' could handle idiotic men.

Selphie approached them with a nervous smile. She looked like a wild animal, cornered without an escape. She didn't know how Squall and Seifer would react to her leading strangers to meet them. Squall always insisted in keeping themselves to themselves, but this was different. These people knew about the Bleaks, which meant that they were all on the same team. Any help would benefit them, because at the moment they weren't getting very far on their own.

"Hey, um… you remember Rinoa, right?" Selphie asked. "These are her friends, Quistis and Zell. They er… want to talk about the Bleaks."

Rinoa looked at Squall but couldn't hold his gaze for more than a few seconds. His eyes were too questioning and his gaze too piercing. She wondered what he was looking for. She couldn't answer him if she didn't know the questions. Besides, she was the one interested in them, not the other way around… right?

"We're not working tonight," Squall said bluntly.

"Uh, did you hear what I said?" Selphie asked. How could Squall be so cool all the time? "The Bleaks…"

"Aint here tonight," Seifer finished for her. Pushing her out of the way he held his hand out for Quistis to shake. "Hi, I'm Seifer, can I buy you a drink?"

Quistis shot a surpised look at Rinoa.

"I, uh… sure, OK," she replied clearly flustered.

Rinoa couldn't believe that she'd just lost one of her number. They hadn't come here to start dating. Next Zell would run off with Selphie and she'd be left standing at the bar with Squall. The idea of being alone with him scared her so much, that she decided immediately that if it happened she'd be ordering a few shots.

She heard Quistis laugh as she was handed something brightly coloured in a bottle. A pang of jealousy shot through her, coupled with a feeling of self-consciousness, as Squall continued to stare at her.

"Zell hunts Bleaks as well Squall," Selphie said. She hoped that Squall wouldn't send them away, since she was bored of being the only girl in the group.

Fed up of shouting over the music Squall pulled Selphie towards him and shouted into her ear instead.

"We'll talk to them tomorrow," Squall said. "Tonight I'm off duty."

Not that they could ever really be off duty, but since there were no Bleaks in the club tonight, they'd been given a lucky break. He hoped that Selphie would buzz off and let him get back to staring moodily into the crowd.

"Fine," Selphie said before repeating his words to Rinoa and Zell. There seemed little point in telling Quistis, since it seemed Seifer was making his move.

Rinoa tried a smile in Squall's direction but it only caused him to look away. Feeling stupid she leant on the bar and hoped that no one would speak to her for the rest of the night. Her alcoholic buzz had definitely just been destroyed. She frowned as she looked at the empty glasses on the bar and knew that she was pathetic.

Squall felt Rinoa's arm touch his own as she stood next to him. She was no longer looking at him, and the blush had disappeared from her skin. Vaguely he heard Zell asking Selphie about herself and knew that he wouldn't see her again for the rest of the night. Selphie never shut up talking, so she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to talk about herself. That left him and Rinoa.

"What are you drinking?" Squall asked. It was ridiculous to stand next to each other in silence. Rinoa looked at him, surprised.

The fear that some other guy would ask her the same question had been the prompt that Squall needed to make the effort. He didn't know why, but he did want to see her talking to someone else.

"Vodka lemonade, thanks," she replied.

Nodding, Squall was a lot more successful in being served than Rinoa had been all night. Putting a straw into her glass, she thanked him with a smile.

Again she heard Quistis laughing. She wished that she could say something witty, or anything that didn't make her sound like an idiot. It was an odd situation to be in. Stood next to someone she knew wasn't actually human.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Depends. Technically I'm not a day over 19," Squall replied.

"Zell said that you and Seifer are warriors from another dimension and that you've been here for hundreds of years," Rinoa said. She was thankful for the confidence the alcohol was giving her. There was no way that she could have spoken to him one to one with out it.

Squall watched as she tilted her head to the side with her questions. He could see what Seifer had meant; Rinoa was sweet and clearly very innocent. Her manners and movements were almost childlike. She was the kind of girl guys like Seifer left alone. Choosing instead, girls that wouldn't shatter like glass when they walked away.

He knew that he was staring at her again. Looking away he tried to process her words. How could it be possible that someone knew about their secret? He had assumed that those who did were long dead now, leaving himself and Seifer forgotten. Perhaps fate had been kind for once. Delivering some answers in the form of three strangers.

**SUNDAY MORNING**

**02:00**

There was nothing quite like a night on the town to forge new friendships. Awkwardness soon gave way to hysterical laughter and claims of 'I like you' and ' you know what, you're my new best friend.' Rinoa couldn't quite remember what she had been talking about ten minutes ago, or even what she was saying now. All she knew was, every now and then she managed to receive smile from her new partner in everything paranormal.

Squall quickly came to realise, that with the more Rinoa drank, the less she required a response from him. She appeared to be quite happy to talk for the both of them and he found he didn't mind listening. Even if she was talking nonsense. Every now and then her contradictory remarks and sentences that made no sense caused him to smile. Something he wasn't very familiar with.

He looked over at Seifer, who in the space of a few hours had gone from trying to impress, to reluctant to let Quistis go, even for the bathroom. Selphie appeared to have found a kindred spirit in Zell when it came to awful dance moves. He wasn't sure if they even remembered they had only met a few hours ago.

"Your friend is nuts," Rinoa declared looking at Selphie.

"So is yours," Squall replied, watching Zell do a rendition of the funky chicken.

Rinoa snorted and slammed her drink down on the bar. Completely forgetting that time had passed, she was surprised when the lights came on and the music stopped. Rinoa felt a sinking feeling of disappointment that the night was over. It wasn't guaranteed that she'd ever see these people again.


	11. Morning After

**A/N**: Sorry, more mystery! I don't think I've pointed it out before, but please take note of the time in the chapters. Those are the 'linebreaks', could be confusing if you don't see them. Thank you for the reviews guys!

**'_Morning After_' **

**SUNDAY**

**09:45**

Rinoa awoke with an aching back and instantly knew she wasn't in her own bed. For one thing she felt groggy and she was cold. For moment she didn't want to open her eyes, hoping that she could fall asleep once more, so she wouldn't have to deal with the day. Instead the sound of someone rattling cutlery and opening and closing cupboards forced her to sit up and look around.

She found that she as still wearing her clothes from the night before and had fallen asleep on her sofa. On the armchair next to her was Zell, his mouth open as he slept. He was still in a deep alcohol educed dream; the woollen throw that usually decorated the chair was pulled over him like a blanket. His only movement was the shallow rise and fall of his chest and the occasional twitch.

Pushing her dark hair back from her face, Rinoa looked towards her kitchenette and saw that Squall was helping himself to her breakfast cereal. She didn't remember inviting anyone back to her home. She vaguely remembered leaving the club, but after that… nothing.

Squall must have felt her staring at him, as he stopped midway of opening the fridge and stared at her. When nothing was said, he continued making his breakfast in silence.

"Hey, um," Rinoa said, trying to dispel some of the awkwardness she was feeling. She knew that she must look a mess. Her skin felt grimy and her eyelashes clumpy with old mascara. "How'd we end up here?" she asked.

Feeling around behind her she found that she had been sleeping on one of her shoes, accounting for most of her aches. Squall continued to stare at her, occasionally spooning cereal into his mouth. He had been waiting for something unusual to happen all night, since it was clear that Rinoa wasn't as ordinary as she seemed. Even though he could tell by talking to her, that she didn't think so herself. What he _had_ found unusual was the fact that he'd agreed to spend more time in her company.

Rinoa gave him a nervous smile. Clearly he wasn't in the mood for talking. Although she'd rather he didn't continue to scrutinize her so thoroughly, especially when she felt disgusting.

"House party at yours," he said once Rinoa had given up on getting a reply. She looked back at him puzzled. "Remember? You got the tequila out and started doing shots. But he passed out," he said pointing at Zell. "Then _you_ did," he informed her.

She felt a twinge up her spine as she tried to remember that. Why had she chosen the sofa over her own bed? She thought must be a very generous drunk person. And a lucky one this morning, for shooting tequila she felt remarkably well.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"I stood and stared at you all night," he replied.

"What?" Rinoa demanded jumping up from the sofa. He had better be joking, or he and his freak friends could all get lost right away. Regardless of how good he looked with tousled hair and a halfway unbuttoned shirt. She stopped herself, he's from another dimension, she reminded herself, or so Zell says, he might be able to read minds. Cats, she thought, Cats with hats on. There was no change in Squall's expression, so she supposed he couldn't read minds.

"I watched TV," he said at last. "You're not _that_ interesting."

The way he said that made Rinoa think it was some kind of backhanded compliment. She was a _bit_ interesting then. It was better than nothing.

"You didn't sleep?"

"I slept yesterday," Squall said matter-of-factly.

"Well so did I, but I still have to sleep again…" Rinoa said, with her eyebrows raised. "You're a bit weird," she commented before she could stop herself.

Before Squall could answer the front door was unceremoniously banged open and Seifer and Quistis barged through with bags of drive-thru breakfast. Their arrival woke Zell and he sat up, startled. Selphie also emerged from Rinoa's bedroom, looking well rested and happy. Rinoa wondered again why she had fallen asleep where she had, leaving her room free for the other girl, who had obviously had a much more enjoyable sleep.

Quistis was looking rather flushed as she handed around the unhealthy meals to both Zell and Selphie's eager hands. She offered one to Squall and Rinoa was surprised to see him accept it, pushing his bowl away. She had thought, now wrongly, that deep-fried eggs, burger and bacon in a bun wouldn't be his thing.

Rinoa noted that Quistis was still wearing the same clothes as last night. She concluded that Seifer hadn't gone back to Quistis' place, or she would have changed. But whatever they had been doing whilst she was passed out, she was glad that they had been kind enough to bring back breakfast.

"I'm going to have to go home to shower," Quistis said as they ate. "We'll be meeting up again later I suppose?"

Selphie and Seifer looked at Squall. They were both happy to meet up again, but Squall might not be. Not that either really cared for what he decided, they were going to do what they wanted anyway. But no one wanted an argument today, not when everyone was feeling a bit fragile.

"Sure," Squall said without much enthusiasm.

"Can we meet at Zell's?" Selphie asked. "He has an ouija board. I really old one, isn't that right Zell? I want to have a go. See if I can call up any famous dead folk."

Seifer scoffed, but when no one protested it seemed it was settled. They were going to Zell's, whether Zell liked it or not.

**10:40**

Selphie was still talking as they stepped out onto the front door step, causing Squall to bite his tongue against telling her to hurry up. He was staring to get tired now, or bored, he couldn't really tell. Rinoa looked like she could do with a few more hours sleep and had run out of conversation a while ago. She waved them all from her house with a smile, but Squall could tell she was happy to have some peace and quiet. Looking across the road, Squall faltered for the briefest of seconds before continuing. Only Seifer noticed his uneven step, but said nothing in front of the others.

"Oh," Zell said when they reached Quistis' car. "There is something I have to tell you. I couldn't before, not with Rinoa around…"

He let the sentence hang for a moment.

"Her last name is Heartilly."

Squall shot Seifer a concerned glance. The only one that didn't see the significance of this was Quistis, although she could tell that it meant something to everyone else.

**10:45**

Irvine dropped back into the shadows. He had been watching the house for what seemed like forever. Finally the one he was waiting for left, surrounded by her companions. It was clear that the three of them were some kind of unit, not as he'd first thought, casual acquaintances. He was surprised to find that there were more of them now, another male with magic, a blonde woman and the occupant of the house he was watching.

He knew that he had been sensed; one of them had looked directly at him, but had not reacted. He had been about to leave when he realised they were going in different directions. The new additions were getting into the car and the original three were not. His curiosity was rewarded, when he heard the name 'Heartilly'. Foster would certainly be interested in that. But maybe he'd keep it to himself for now though, use it for bargaining material if he found himself in tight spot.


	12. Importance of a Name

**A/N: **Thank you everyone! Finally some explanations for you guys, hopefully now you'll have a few answers to your questions. Been so busy lately, been workin', datin' (woot!) and reading some really brilliant squinoa fics! Hope you like!

'_**Importance of a name'**_

**SUNDAY**

**13:45**

After Zell had mentioned Rinoa's surname, they had decided to meet at Zell's house earlier than planned. They couldn't discuss anything standing in the street, and they certainly couldn't talk in front of Rinoa. Therefore Quistis would collect Rinoa later and bring her to Zell's house, pretending that the others had only just arrived.

"So, the plot thickens, hey?" Seifer said, as he casually looked through the titles on Zell's bookshelf. Some of the books on the shelf were so old that their spines were crumbling and the covers held together with rubber bands. Many he hadn't seen for years, having thought they had been lost forever. Others he had never come across before. Zell certainly had a collection, and nothing shouted amateur. These were hardcore magic books, but from where he had got them, Seifer could only imagine.

From this he could tell that Zell was not the small-time magician he appeared to be, but someone with aspirations of great power. Picking a small book, he toyed with it in his hand, but not daring to open its pages.

"So it would seem," Quistis said, her pen in her hand, ready to continue the next chapter in her story.

Selphie watched Quistis' pen tap on the page as they waited for someone to explain what was going on. It seemed everyone was either waiting on Zell or Squall to speak. Eventually Quistis realised that she needed to ask some questions. Everyone else had gotten past the revelation stage, but she was still confused.

"OK, so can someone please tell me why Rinoa's last name is so important?"

Her question was met with more silence and some uncomfortable glances. No one wanted to give away how much they knew, or didn't know about its relevance.

"Heartilly is the name of the Royal family, in the country that we come from," Squall said.

He was sitting as out of the way as he could manage, and yet he still couldn't escape everyone's gaze. If Zell had made lucky guess, then today he was going to have a lot of suspicions confirmed. That or Zell was more informed about their world than first thought. Squall hadn't wanted to be the one to explain things, but if someone didn't start talking then they'd be here forever.

"Right," Quistis said, her voice sounding slightly sceptical.

"They preside over the city of Deling, and, well plenty of other places too. They have control over all the magic used in the land, and have an army of warrior mages, and assassins," Zell explained. "Like Seifer and Squall."

"How do you know that?" Seifer demanded. "How could you possibly know that? What the hell is going on?"

"Seifer," Selphie said warily, worried that an altercation was about to occur. "Does it matter?"

"Yes it freaking does!" Seifer shouted, throwing the book he was holding onto the ground.

Quistis flinched as the book barely missed her legs, and tried to shift out of the way. The sudden change of mood had destroyed all thoughts of writing everything down. Instead she fished inside of her bag to find her Dictaphone, and switched it on.

"We've been alone for years, no one even knew we existed. Then this weirdo shows up, and he knows everything about us!" Seifer yelled pointing at Zell. "I want to know what the hell is going on? And if you don't tell me…" His finger shook in the air as it pointed accusingly at Zell.

Calmly sitting in a chair by the window, Zell waited for the storm to blow over. Seifer's words had tailed into a threatening glance, but he knew he couldn't escape the question. Whilst he had been studying Seifer and Squall in every text he could get his hands on, he had had no idea that they were so clueless. Any person they had met along the way, with even the slightest connection to the magic-circle, had been compiling a file on them. Writing down what they had learnt of them, what they had seen. Ever since the first magicians had called them from the alternative realm, there would always be someone interested in them.

Zell looked down at the ground. Seifer had gone silent, waiting for an answer.

"Fine," Zell said standing. "I'll explain. I've been researching you guys for years. Look," he walked to the bookcase and pulled down some books. "You're famous. Any mage worth his salt knows about you two."

Seifer took the book from Zell and looked at the black and white photograph on its page. There looking back at him was his own face. His eyes drifted across the page and found the date '1917'. Suddenly a memory drifted back to him as he stared at the clothes he had been wearing. Suddenly he realised once again how long he and Squall had been here, and how there was still no end in sight.

He passed the book to Squall.

"I didn't know I would ever meet you," Zell said. "But when Rinoa told me what she had seen, and what you looked like…"

Seifer stared back at the bookcase. In any one of those books could be all sorts of information about him.

"You seem to know more than you should," Squall said looking at the book. "We have never spoken about the world we come from."

Zell shifted his weight under the collected stares of everyone in the room. He had hoped he wouldn't have to reveal too much more, but it was too late. He'd already shown too much of his hand, and if he didn't want them to disappear, he'd have to be honest.

"OK, fine. I'm a descendant of those that summoned you."

"Well put us back!" Seifer shouted immediately.

"I can't!" Zell said stepping away from him. "I mean, I don't know how."

"You've been studying us for years, you know how," Squall said reading Zell's reactions. He was nervous and knew more than he was letting on.

"Yeah, you freak," Seifer goaded.

"That's enough!" Selphie said, unable to stand the shouting any longer. "Seriously you guys! The fact that Zell knew about the Bleaks, should have been a clue that he knew about you also."

Squall wasn't surprised that Selphie was standing up for Zell. Having been picked on by Seifer many of times, she didn't want to stand by and watch him shouting at someone else. They could hardly expect to know everything about Zell. They had only been acquainted five minutes. No one introduced themselves, then flowed into a detailed narrative of their life and history.

"I have an idea," Zell said after everyone had finished shouting. "But I'm not sure I could ever pull it off. Which leads us back to Rinoa."

"How so?" Quistis asked, glad that the conversation had come full loop back to Rinoa. She didn't want to keep being the one asking the questions about Rinoa, but it looked like she had no choice.

"Because if she is one of the Royal family, then she might have more power than I could even imagine," Zell informed her. "If…"

"If! If what? She's just some girl," Seifer said dismissively.

"No she isn't," Squall replied. His voice sounded ominous compared to Seifer's thoughtless tone. He didn't believe in coincidences. Everything happened for a reason, or led them somewhere. For some reason they had crossed paths with a magician and a girl that could have high-magic connections; and Squall was beginning to think that perhaps at last, they had found their way home.

"Why would the Bleaks be so interested in an ordinary girl? Zell is right, she could be holding onto some serious power," Squall continued.

"The Heartilly's are like super bad-ass fairies," Selphie explained for Qusitis' tape. "But without the shiny wings and stuff. They can cross through the universes without even lifting a finger. My people, pixies, can surf the edge of universes, but cannot pass between them. That's what allows me to fly, I can hitch a ride on the outskirts of the divides."

Quistis' face was unreadable, but if Selphie had to guess she would have gone for stunned.

"You can fly?" Was all the Quistis said in return, shakily, and with a ghostly white face.

"Oh sure," Selphie said nodding. "It's no big deal."

Selphie heard Seifer snort at her explanation, but paid no attention. He was only jealous, since he couldn't fly.

"But what are you going to do now?" Quistis asked, looking from one face to another. "Are you going to tell Rinoa?"

Squall folded his arms. There was nothing they could do without her, therefore…

"We'll tell her," he decided.


	13. Misunderstanding

**A/N: **Been a little while since there was an update on this fic, so here we go!

**'Misunderstanding'**

**SUNDAY**

**16:30**

Rinoa knew that there was something the matter with the atmosphere in the room. She identified it as tension, which had not been present when they all been together before. Quistis and Seifer had gone from subtly flirting to standing on opposite sides of the room, Selphie was silent and unmoving on the sofa and Zell was taking a stupidly long time making coffee in the kitchen.

"So," Rinoa said looking around for something to talk about. Squall was refusing to look at her, standing at the window and staring at the passing cars. Rinoa didn't know why he had to act so oddly, his mood changing from one moment to the next.

"OK, why is everyone acting so mysterious?" Rinoa demanded after realising that no one was going to help her fill the silence. The already awkward feeling in the room continued to grow worse. "Is it me?" Rinoa asked growing self-conscience.

She wondered whether they had decided against her being a part of the gang. She wasn't adding anything, or contributing with a skill. Quistis and Seifer had already paired off. Selphie and Zell had made friends, which left her with Squall… who was clearly indifferent. She looked at him with regret, that somewhere along the line she had failed to interest him. After all he had been talking to her before, meaning she'd said something stupid or done something to make him turn away.

"No," Quistis replied, but her eyes flicked towards Squall. "Yes, actually… there is something you need to know. Isn't that right Squall?"

As if on cue, all heads in the room turned to face Squall. Rinoa waited expectantly, her heartbeat quickening in anticipation. She watched as his eyes dropped their gaze from the road, to the ground and then back up. By the time his eyes met hers they were filled with apprehension.

This was it, they were going to tell her that she had to leave, forget all about them and go back to her ordinary life. But even as she expected these words from Squall, she couldn't help the tiny glimmer of hope inside her that said she might have got it wrong.

"Is Heartilly your real name, or did you change it?" Squall asked directly, ignoring Rinoa's expression of confusion. He could see that he had made her nervous, but he had no idea what to say to put her at ease. Speaking to people wasn't his best skill, and he wasn't apt to practicing either.

"Er," Rinoa eloquently replied, "It's was my mother's name. I took it because I thought it suited me better…"

Still Rinoa was no closer to finding out what Squall needed to talk to her about, but at least now it seemed they weren't about to send her home. Or not just yet anyway.

"Did your mother ever mention anything about magic?" Squall asked.

Rinoa stared at him like he had gone mad. What had her mother got to do with any of this? What was it to him what kind of stories she was told as a child? Yet while the rational half of her brain railed against him, the other half told her to answer. Events had pretty much gone beyond the expected, it would be disappointing to expect anything else.

"Well of course she did, she told me loads of fairy stories when I was a kid. Doesn't every kid get told stories?" Rinoa replied, still wondering why she was even playing along with this. Yet despite her view that the conversation was insane, no one else seemed to share the same opinion. Everyone was taking this a little too seriously.

"Did you ever wonder…if those stories might be true?"

"Well of course not!" Rinoa said annoyed.

"What about now?" Squall asked not letting the question go without Rinoa truly considering it.

She frowned at him, and was about to repeat her previous answer, when the realisation of what Squall was really asking hit her. After what she had seen so far, and what Zell had told her, why couldn't her mother's stories be true? She had been told of magic, with such conviction, that her young mind had had no reason to doubt. It was only the 'real world' she had been forced to live in that had made her lose her childhood beliefs.

"What did she tell you?" Squall asked. There was no need to wait for Rinoa to answer the previous question, the look on her face told them all about her revelation.

"She told me that the Heartilly's knew how to use magic, that one day I would know how to as well. When she told me stories, I was always the princess… she said one day we'd go back…"

Still despite the utter insanity of the conversation, no one interrupted. Zell had returned to hear the conversation sans coffee, and Squall and Seifer just returned each other's surprised gazes. Only Quistis looked like she wouldn't mind a recap, but it didn't look like one was forthcoming.

"So you're telling me that my mother wasn't making up those stories?" Rinoa asked, wishing someone would just fill her in on the secret.

"Maybe," Squall replied.

"What do you mean, maybe? Maybe what? Yes she was making them up, or no they were true. There is only one answer!" Rinoa could feel herself growing impatient now, and Squall's calm responses only added to her annoyance.

"I'm not sure," Squall confessed. This time it looked like he was losing his cool too, doubting what he was saying, and doubting what he was hearing. Maybe they had gotten this wrong?

"Hang on," Selphie said standing and moving between Squall and Rinoa like a referee. "Let's think about this. Rinoa's name is Heartilly. The Royal family of magic's name is Heartilly. Rinoa's mother knew about magic. Rinoa is being followed by Bleaks and some how ended up in the path of a magician and two warriors from another realm. Am I the only one thinking, this isn't just coincidence?"

"It's still all sounding insane to me," Rinoa muttered.

"Yeah, but supposing your mother was related to the Royals, then we have a princess in our midst. And a powerful one at that," Zell said excitedly, as if he wanted to start conducting magical tests on her immediately.

Rinoa folded her arms.

"My mother is dead," Rinoa said as if that statement would end the speculation. They couldn't ask her about the stories, or whether they were true or not. And she was going to completely ignore the suggestion that she was a princess, since she sure as hell didn't feel like one.

"Possibly not," Squall said unexpectantly. There was pause in the conversation as his words fell through everyone like a deadweight.

"My mother is dead!" Rinoa repeated slowly and carefully. "Don't you dare make a joke out of that."

"She might have returned to the other realm…" Squall speculated not noticing the emotions that were passing across Rinoa's face.

Immediately she stood, so filled with rage that she could hardly see the room. What was wrong with these people? The loss of her mother was something she had never gotten over, and she couldn't believe they would dare make light of something still so painful. Rinoa couldn't find the words to express her outrage and pain, all she could do was leave the room, then the house and stand in the cold air of the garden.

"Nice one," Selphie muttered to Squall as she followed Rinoa.

Rinoa was breathing irregularly when Selphie found her, trying to calm herself, but not succeeding. There were tears running down her cheeks, but she made no sound. However as soon as she saw Selphie the storm of her anger broke.

"I hate him!" she yelled, pointing inside the house.

"Who?" Selphie asked immediately, and then wished she hadn't. It was pretty obvious, but just not what she had been expecting.

"Squall," Rinoa clarified as if his very name caused her grief. "Why did he say that? Why? I haven't done anything to him, why does he hate me so much? If he wanted me to leave he could have just said. He didn't need to make up all this bullshit."

"We're not making it up Rinoa, and he doesn't hate you. It's just his way. They're both insensitive, Seifer as well as Squall. But at least Seifer knows he is…" Selphie hoped she might be able to cheer Rinoa up, but it looked like she'd underestimated how callous Squall suggestion had been to Rinoa's ears. She looked back at the house to see Zell peering out the kitchen window. She waved him out.

"Do you want to talk to Zell?" Selphie asked hopefully.

"I don't want to talk to anyone," Rinoa snapped. She saw Selphie's hopeful look dashed, and regretted taking her anger out on her. "OK, fine."

Selphie pushed Zell forward and gave him a warning look to be careful. Since Zell was neutral territory when it came to the group, Selphie thought Rinoa might respond to him better, and left them to it.

"You know, I reckon you could be an awesome mage," Zell said tentatively, not knowing what kind of response he would receive. "With a little training, of course. Or… I could at least teach you how to get the Bleaks off your back…"

Rinoa sniffed and looked at him, checking his face for lies.

"Yeah?" she asked, happy to listen to some kind words. "I could learn magic?"

"Why not?"

Rinoa shrugged. Maybe because it all seemed so far away, her mother's stories nearly forgotten. How could she learn something she'd forgotten to believe in?

"Why don't you come back inside?" Zell asked. He was hoping she wouldn't refuse, since he wasn't comfortable talking to her when she was upset. Worried he'd only make a bad situation worse; he wished Selphie would come back, or better yet, Quistis.

"I don't want to see Squall," Rinoa said, looking fearfully back at the house. "I'll only go back if he leaves." Rinoa knew her demand was childish, but she couldn't face the same questions again. Now that she had had time to calm herself, she was beginning to wonder about his comment. But she wasn't ready to face the idea again, that her mother might not have died.

"OK, give me a minute," Zell said leaving her in the garden.

Squall watched Zell walk the small path back to the house and looked past him to Rinoa. He hadn't meant to upset her, and her refusal to come back in the house only confused him further. To hear that her mother might not be dead ought to be a happy thought for Rinoa, surely?

"You three need to leave," Zell announced. "Well, she only stipulated Squall, but you should all go."

Selphie nodded.

"OK, but you'll let me know if she's alright, won't you?" she stipulated to Zell as she began ushering Squall and Seifer out. She wasn't about to argue with the request of the boys leaving, even if she had to go also. But once outside she rounded on Squall.

"Well that was great, well done Squall. She could be your only chance for going home, and now she won't even talk to you!"

"Aw shut up," Seifer replied. "Seriously, since we let Squall do the explaining, who was expecting anything else?"

"What, that she'd end up crying?" Selphie asked, outraged.

"Pretty much. Least it's done now. Zell can tie up the loose ends, and before you know it we'll all be on our way home."

Squall didn't feel the need to add that this seemed like an unrealistic evaluation. But since he had caused the disruption, he was hoping that for once, Seifer might be right.


	14. Yellow

**A/N: **Wow, it's been like ages since an update. Sorry guys. However something amazing has happened to me this year, I am really really organised! No more essay deadline stress for me. Whoohoo!

'**Yellow'**

**SUNDAY**

**17:20**

Rinoa was listening to Zell in silence, with only the occasional nod. The only other person in the room was Quistis, who was frantically making notes, despite the fact that her Dictaphone was still recording.

"Do you reckon I should market this as a fiction or a factual study?" she had asked Rinoa in a whisper when Zell had been occupied with setting up his equipment. "Either way it's gold dust!"

"No one is going to believe any of this," Rinoa had replied.

"You do though…"

Rinoa was still considering Quistis' words as Zell ushered her over to the small wooden table, where he had arranged a pile of different coloured stones and crystals. Handing one of the larger crystals to Rinoa, he told her to take a seat and sat down opposite her.

"What is this for?" Rinoa asked looking at the rock in her hand. "I thought we were going to work on my aura?"

"We are, that's what the crystal is for. It will glow with your colour, and then we'll know what we're working with. Since your aura isn't like everyone else's, we'll need as much help as possible. Hence the biggest crystal," Zell explained.

He flicked through a few pages of a heavy bound book, until he found a page he was happy with. Then he looked up with a smile, only to meet with Rinoa's sceptical expression.

"You said my aura was broken. So I'm a freak, right? What if it tells me something I don't want to know?"

"Like what?" Zell asked. He liked to know what people's fears were before he began exposing them to magic. Some people had great fears about palm reading, terrified about what they might learn. Where as others believed fate was fate, and it was better to know and prepare. He wondered what might be on Rinoa's mind.

"I don't know. I'll still be the same afterwards, right?"

"You'll be just the same," Zell assured her. "OK, now close your eyes, and concentrate. Tell yourself that you want to see your aura in the crystal. And…"

Rinoa opened an eye as Zell went silent, and found that he was staring at the rock in her hands. It had changed colour, and was glowing yellow.

"Wow, that sure was fast," Quistis remarked, then made a note.

Rinoa smiled unsure.

"Hey, what you know, it actually worked," she said bringing the yellow crystal up to her eye-line and inspecting it. "That wasn't so hard."

"I wasn't expecting that," Zell whispered.

"Why not? You were the one going on about me being a princess from a magical royal family," Rinoa said with a touch of sarcasm, still inspecting her glowing stone. If it weren't so weird, she'd have called it pretty. Not that she had ever imagined herself as a yellow type of girl, but she'd never imagined herself in this kind of situation either, so everything was going to be a surprise.

"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting to be right!" Zell exclaimed.

"This doesn't prove anything though," Rinoa warned before he became too excited.

"Except that you can do magic, and without much effort either. I've seen people pass out only doing half of what you've done here. Even I can't hold a colour for so long, and I've been practicing all my life."

Rinoa shrugged.

"Yellow," Zell muttered. "This makes sense. Yellow is life energy. No wonder all the Bleaks are attracted to you. For something with a sweet tooth you're pure sugar."

"You can fix me?" Rinoa asked hopefully. Having heard enough comments about the Bleaks, and how they were following her around in unusual numbers, she was pretty eager to get rid of them. Since Zell had already proved he wasn't messing her about with tricks, and that she really could turn a clear rock into a glowing yellow orb, she was ready to try anything.

"There isn't anything I can do. There is something missing, but it's nothing I can fix. My guess is it's incomplete because you're not where you are meant to be. That, or there is something you need to find."

Rinoa felt her hopes sink.

"Oh, so the Bleaks will be following me forever?"

"Not if you can raise up some shields. Shall we work on that next?" Zell asked. With a shield she would be able to protect herself against the Bleaks, even if they continued to follow her around, then at least they wouldn't be able to touch her.

**20:22**

Rinoa found that Zell was an enthusiastic teacher; he never lost interest when she failed, and never stopped encouraging her when she felt like giving up. By the end of three hours practicing, Rinoa felt she had achieved something. Suddenly she felt confident, as if she had been walking through her life with her soul bared, and now she was taking it back and holding it close. No one was going to hurt her again, not unless she let them in. feeling renewed with energy, she felt ready to learn something else, but it seemed Zell had exhausted himself.

"I feel great," Rinoa said as Zell slumped down on the sofa. "I feel different."

"That's because you no longer have a dirty big shadow sapping out your energy. Wave bye bye to the leechy Bleaks."

Rinoa looked out of the window. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. But the sky was dusky, and she supposed that she ought to go home soon. Quistis was probably looking forward to going home also, since it had been a pretty long day. Plus she was feeling pretty hungry.

"Are we meeting up tomorrow?" Rinoa asked.

"I don't know. I mean, depends whether you've forgiven Squall or not," Quistis replied, picking up her bag and finding her car keys.

Suddenly Rinoa's buzz fell away as she remembered that she was still fighting with Squall. She wished she had managed to keep her cool, since he didn't like her anyway, and now he would like her even less. Not that it was her fault, but his, for being so insensitive. But then, it didn't sound like he and Seifer were very sociable with regular people, so what was she really expecting?

"Oh yeah. Maybe I should go and find him?"

"I think he ought to be the one to apologise, don't you?" Quistis asked.

Rinoa knew Quistis was right, she shouldn't go running after him. She didn't want to seem desperate. Better to wait until he came to her, then she could play it cool. Yeah, it was better to wait. Unless he couldn't be bothered to…

"Alright, can you drop me home?"

**21:40**

Rinoa was watching the TV, in front of her was cup of hot chocolate and a book with creased corners. She was debating whether she should go to bed, or watch the next programme, which some kind of countdown show of the wealthiest people in the world. She had only just decided that she would watch the first half then go to bed, when she heard her doorbell.

Frowning, she moved quietly to the door and wondered whether she should ignore it. Her TV volume was down pretty low, and she hadn't made any noise walking over to the door, so she could pretend she wasn't at home. But she was curious about who would be visiting at this time.

"Who is it?" she called after she knew she couldn't ignore the mystery anymore.

"It's Squall," was the blunt reply.

Rinoa opened the door to find Squall on her doorstep, the streetlights behind him giving him a sorrowful glow. His gaze was down at the ground, but as soon as the door opened he looked up into Rinoa's face. She looked nervous in front of him, with her hair loosely tied back and ready for sleep. She tried a small smile, but Squall knew he was making her uncomfortable.

"Can I come in?" he asked, after a few minutes of standing in the cold.

Rinoa silently opened the door further and stood back, allowing him in. Closing the door on the world outside, Rinoa followed him into her home, not truly believing that he was really there.

"Um, can I get you a drink?" Rinoa asked, walking by him into the kitchen. She hoped he'd say yes, because she felt she needed something to do. She couldn't just stand there and have him look at her in the strange piercing way he often used when around her.

"Sure."

"What would you like?" Rinoa asked flicking the kettle on. "Tea, Coffee, chocolate…"

"What are you having?" Squall asked, leaning against a counter near her.

Rinoa tried not to look at him, as she knew if she did she'd blush. He was standing uncomfortably close to her. Still looking at her in the same questioning way, as if he had no idea what he made of her.

"Chocolate," Rinoa replied.

"I'll have the same," Squall said, stepping back and letting her make the drinks. "Rinoa I wanted to apologise."

Rinoa nodded as she poured the boiling water into the mugs, but found that her heart was beating too wildly to speak. She didn't know why she was so nervous around him, she had spent almost the whole day with him. But then, she hadn't ever been alone with him. Not truly alone anyway.

"It's OK," Rinoa said handing him the drink. "You don't have to."

Squall wished that she hadn't decided to forgive him so soon, as she was making this much harder by being nice to him. He didn't want to know what she really thought about him however, not when he couldn't work her out at the best of times. She always looked so uncomfortable around him, which made him think that she couldn't stand him.

"It's not," he said trying to catch her eye.

"No it is. You see, I really can do magic, Zell taught me how to see my aura, and create magic shields…. If you were right about that, then maybe you were right about my mother as well!" Rinoa said in a manner that told Squall she didn't believe it was true, but was clutching at a small scrap of hope.

"No, Rinoa. I shouldn't have said it."

Shrugging, she walked past him to the sofa, and sat down. She patted the cushion next to her to invite him to sit. Hesitating, Squall didn't know how to broach the subject again, since it seemed Rinoa was determined not to discuss it. He didn't know whether to keep pressing her until she realised his words had just been a thought off the top of his head, or to let her keep hold of the small hope that her mother wasn't dead after all.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just happy that you bothered to come all this way to say sorry."

Rinoa smiled then turned to the TV and waited for Squall to join her. In silence they watched the show about rich people. Rinoa tried her best to relax, but found that more times than she could be comfortable with, Squall kept turning to look at her. It was only when the programme reached the advert break that she looked back at him.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" she asked.

"I don't know," Squall replied, embarrassed that he had been caught. Without warning he stood up. "I have to go."

"Oh, but…"

"Bye," he said abruptly, before he walked to the door, opened it without looking back and was gone.

Rinoa stared after him confused, with the sound of the door slamming in her ears.


	15. The Bank

**A/N:** Once again thank you for the reviews guys! I've been having a rubbish time lately writing assignments, one of the joys was why don't you give high flow oxygen to a COPD patient. Actually that was one of the easy ones. But it's all finished now, just got a do a bit of editing, spruce up the references and hand it in. For once I've actually finished early, but then that had more to do with the fact that I wanted to celebrate my birthday in style!! And by that I mean lots of wine and cake. Anyway, here's the latest update!!

**MONDAY MORNING **

**07:30**

Foster surveyed the world in which he had total control. Everyone in the room belonged, in some way, to him. He often enjoyed watching them go about their business, trying desperately to keep under his notice, and all the while knowing that they only lived because he deemed it so. He loved to see the fear in other's eyes, when they looked at him, unsure about how he would react. But then there were some, that no matter how cruel he was, how he beat them down, he could never break. They continued to stare back at him with contempt, with an unshakable knowledge of their own independence and self worth.

Just like the girl at his feet. But he had broken her eventually. Of course it had taken her death, to turn the look of hatred in her eyes into something glassy and dead. She stared up at him now, her neck twisted from where it had snapped. She had been the only human in his collection, but she wouldn't be the last. He'd wanted her simply for the reason of her beautiful face, now sunken and grey. She'd been standing behind the bar, laughing at something a customer had said, flicking a glance Foster's way, but ignoring his advances. Her dismissal had condemned her, and she had spent the rest of her short life trapped in one of his cages.

He looked up, in the distance he could see a group of men, their eyes glowing with excitement as they peered through the bars of his latest capture. A small fairy girl, with long blonde hair and a doll-like face huddled as far back from them as she could manage. Her transparent wings folded up for protection, pressed back against the cold bars. She had been crying yesterday, but today she was silent. He saw no defiance in her eyes, only fear, so he would not harm her. There was no need, as long as she did as she was told.

Foster closed his eyes in anticipation of the next one, the one he had been thinking about for a long time. He didn't mind waiting, he had all of eternity, days meant nothing; years meant nothing. Irvine would bring her to him eventually, and then she would be his prize attraction.

**12:55**

Rinoa pressed the button that announced her to be free, and another customer shuffled forward with a checkbook in hand. Shooting an exasperated look towards the mortgages girl, Rinoa saw her yawn and tap her watch. They'd been working for a total of three hours and fifty-five minutes, and Rinoa's stomach was asking for its lunch. Trying to disguise it's growling by shifting in her chair, she smiled at the man before her and began paying in his check.

"Can I help you with anything else today?" she asked him, just like she asked everyone whom she served. For a moment the man paused, as if not sure whether he needed to do anymore banking or not. Rinoa resisted the urge to roll her eyes, he either needed something else doing or not, it wasn't difficult to answer. Eventually he thanked her and took back his checkbook.

Tempted to wave over her supervisor and ask for her lunch break, Rinoa decided to play by the bank rules for once and serve another customer before leaving. She felt in a giving mood. In fact she'd felt pretty good ever since Zell had worked the voodoo on her.

"I hope I serve him!" the girl next to her muttered, making Rinoa look up. In the queue was Seifer, flicking through a checkbook as if he'd never seen one before.

Sitting up straighter in her chair, Rinoa scanned the room looking for Squall. It seemed likely that if Seifer were here, then Squall would be too. It was too much a coincidence that Seifer might suddenly decide to do some banking, and accidentally choose the one she worked for. He'd have to be here for a reason, and she was betting that he was looking for her.

Eventually she spotted Squall, who had unfortunately stood too close to her friend on the opposite side of the room. Rinoa watched as the girl that had been yawning a moment ago, was now animatedly trying to sell him a base-rate tracker mortgage, and a credit card with 9% interest. Rinoa smiled to see Squall looking rather stunned, flicking through the beginners guide to mortgages.

"I'd like to pay off my overdraft," someone said in front of her, making Rinoa jump.

"Do you even have a overdraft?" she asked with a sceptical look.

"No," Seifer replied, "But I hear that is what people do in banks… Got any spare cash floating around behind there?" he asked peering over the desk.

"Where would I put it?" Rinoa asked, knowing he'd find that amusing.

"Well my dear, that would be up to you," he said suggestively.

The queue behind him was getting restless; annoyed that someone was holding them up, by flirting with the staff.

"Excuse me, but this man has pushed in," someone said, hoping to attract a manager over with his complaint.

Seifer turned around to meet the smaller man, who was now red in the face with annoyance. Rinoa rolled her eyes, flipped her sign to closed, and pushed her chair back. The day had just got a whole more exciting than changing people's holiday money, and paying in checks. The rest of her colleagues could sort out the small angry man.

"I'll get my coat, I'm due my lunch break anyway," Rinoa said, leaving her station.

"I might be able to kill off a few customers for you, if you want to leave early today?" Seifer said with a smirk following her to the staff only door. "Or your boss."

"I actually like my boss," Rinoa said with a grin. She didn't really, but it was worth saying just to keep up the banter. She still couldn't help feeling that she might never see these two again, and so the longer she made them stay, the better. She saw that she had got Seifer's attention; perhaps she was even successfully getting him to like her now. If she could only do the same for Squall.

"Wow, controversial. Anyway, its Squall who wants to see you, so don't keep him waiting."

Rinoa scrunched up her face at the order, and disappeared behind the staff doors. When she reappeared downstairs with her coat and bag, Seifer wasn't anywhere to be seen, but Squall was waiting for her, standing in everyone's way watching an advert on the screen.

"Are you thinking about getting a saving account to go with that mortgage?" Rinoa asked as she shrugged her coat on beside him.

"I don't have any money," Squall replied seriously. "At least none spare."

"Yeah, join the club. Last month's pay went as soon as it came. Anyway, I was only joking." It didn't look like Squall understood the joke; he probably through there was a real club. "Shall we get out of here, I don't want to spend my lunch in the bank."

**12:35**

For someone with no money, Squall was pretty generous. Rinoa didn't think she'd ever eaten so well on her lunch break. Not that she was eating anything healthy, but that wasn't the point. Toasted sandwiches had never tasted so good, washed down with two cappuccinos and half a chocolate brownie. Squall had refused to let her pay, which should have made her suspicious, but she figured he still owed her one from upsetting her earlier, so didn't insist.

"Toasted cheese and ham sandwiches are the greatest," Rinoa said after the conversation had died.

"I want you to do a séance," Squall said abruptly. Rinoa stared at him for a moment, her mind still on grilled cheese.

"Do a what?" she mumbled.

"A séance," Squall repeated seriously.

She gaped at him for a while. A séance? Like exorcist style? She had no doubt that after all the crazy crap that had been happening, ghosts were probably real. The last thing she wanted was to call up an other invisible friend, she was having enough problems with the Bleaks as it was. And besides, the way he'd gone about asking her pissed her off.

Suddenly Rinoa pushed her chair back and got to her feet. Huffing she grabbed her coat and bag and pushed her way out of the café. She could tell Squall wasn't that far behind her, following her down the road, back towards the bank, and with every step she could feel her face burning redder and redder with anger.

"You didn't have to take me out to lunch to ask me that!" she shouted, spinning on the spot and startling passers by. Squall stopped a meter away from her, bemused. He didn't know why she had left the café, but he hadn't expected her to be angry.

"You could have just asked me in the bank. What am I going to do, say no? Why can't you just be normal? You didn't have to pretend to like my company!"

Rinoa turned and continued to stomp down the road. She couldn't believe he had nothing to say to her. Not even sorry. Eventually she felt his hand on her arm, and she shrugged it off.

"Wait, Rinoa," Squall said trying to stop her furious march back to work. "I didn't buy you lunch just for that."

Irritated that he wouldn't just apologise and get lost, Rinoa scowled at him.

"What, are you saying, you _like_ me or something? That was your idea of a date?" she demanded.

"Er, yeah," Squall said slightly confused. He had thought she'd understood. That's what humans did right, go to cafés for dates, eat food…? Had he missed something?

Rinoa struggled to breathe with her chest rising and falling so rapidly. She was so annoyed she could barely look at him. She was pretty sure nothing he could say would make her calm down. Giving him a withering look, Rinoa crossed the road and walked back into the bank. As she crossed the foyer her phone began to ring. Irritated she pulled it out of her bag and saw an unidentified number. Taking a deep breath she pressed answer.

"Hello?"

"Rinoa it's Squall…."

"Who?"

"Squall."

"Yeah I heard you the first time," Rinoa snapped. "How did you get my number anyway?"

"From Selphie."

"Well where the hell did she get it from?" Rinoa screeched. She'd made it as far as behind the staff doors, before her voice rocketed up the octaves.

"From Quistis," Squall replied calmly.

Rinoa scowled through the partition of glass in the door, trying to see whether he'd dare to follow her in, but she couldn't see him.

"What do you want now? Want me to conjure up some demons, grant you three wishes?" Rinoa asked sarcastically.

"I don't know what you want me to apologise for," Squall said annoyed. Once again he'd managed to some how piss her off without realising, were all women this changeable? He supposed he'd been out of the dating loop too long, a couple hundred years too long.

"Typical," Rinoa hissed, but starting to think a little more clearly now that her breathing was under control. Maybe she had over reacted just a little, but that was no excuse for his weird behaviour. What was a girl supposed to think? "When is this thing?"

"Tomorrow night at Zell's," Squall replied, glad to hear something that wasn't being shouted.

"Fine, see you there," Rinoa replied hitting the end call button. "God damn it!" Rinoa muttered throwing the phone into her bag and trudging up the stairs.


	16. Are you searching?

**A/n: **Thank you for the reviews everyone! Sorry for the long delay in updates, but I've been having so much drama I ought to turn that into a fic. Although on the upside, I completed my time in Theatre Recovery, and kicked some butt on the surgical ward and in my exams. Phew! Finally made it to the holidays, and it's time for the wine!! Yippie :)

**'Are you searching?'**

**MONDAY EVENING**

**18:46**

Rinoa stared at Squall over the table; he was flanked by both Selphie and Seifer, and between them looked the paragon of seriousness and wisdom. He was watching Zell set out the table with a critical gaze. Except for the stupid games she had played with her friends when she was younger, pushing a wine glass around the kitchen table making it point to letters written on card, Rinoa had never been involved in a séance before.

"We will use an ouija board," Zell said, clicking little pieces of carved wood into the board he had laid out. With each click a letter came into play, A B C D… and with them a chill ran up Rinoa's spine. She had no doubt in her mind that these letters would speak with an otherworldly voice. This was nothing like the scribbled letters of her childhood. Looking at the other faces at the table, she could tell those who were nervous from the ones that had done this before. But to her surprise Seifer was joining the apprehensive team.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Seifer said eyeing Zell with some scepticism. There was no doubt in Seifer's mind that Zell was a practicing freak, and although Squall had decided to trust him, didn't mean _he_ was convinced yet. Selphie seemed to have fallen for his hapless nature the moment she met him, so her opinion was even more useless to Seifer. The only one that looked equally as worried was Rinoa.

Not that he could blame her, even though she had managed to control what her aura was doing, she was still vulnerable. In fact from what Squall had told him about the way she had reacted to this request, Seifer was sure she had a screw loose also. Why Squall should want to involve Rinoa in this Seifer couldn't understand. She appeared to Seifer to be a little unstable, especially when it came to Squall. Then again, Seifer considered Squall to be a bit of a twat when it came to women, so he wasn't really surprised.

"Of _course_ I know what I'm doing," Zell replied affronted. "If you think you can do better?" he asked daring Seifer to say yes.

Zell had been involved in many séances over the years, but not always being the one conducting it. Some were unbelievably faked, with ghostly spectres appearing on the walls through tricks of lights. Others he couldn't explain. It was the times he couldn't explain that kept him believing that there may be something after death, but he'd never yet seen any proof. He doubted today was going to change the world, but at least he could be sure no one here would fake the results.

Seifer had remained quite since being challenged by Zell, however it was clear he hadn't changed his mind. Folding his arms and staring out of the window, he yawned loudly. But although he might not see the value in this, it seemed Squall believed in something, and Seifer had enough respect to let it lie.

The only one not taking part today was Quistis, she was busily writing goodness knows what in her notebook, and setting up her camera. It was clear now that Quistis was planning on putting photos in her book. Nobody seemed to mind that she was now taking pictures, no one thinking too far ahead.

"So um," Rinoa said, "What is the actual point to this? The aim?"

Squall had been hoping that Rinoa wouldn't want to ask that. He had be half hoping she was still annoyed enough not to want to speak, but it seemed their previous argument had been forgotten. Although she looked concerned, she didn't look as if she was going to get up and storm out. Which, in Squall's mind was an improvement.

"To test your powers Rinoa. Didn't Squall explain?" Zell replied before Squall had the chance.

Feeling a flash of dread come over him, that Rinoa was about to flip out once again, Squall watched her reactions with apprehension. But Rinoa remained calm, almost uncaring. It was a far cry from her previous behaviour.

"Oh, right. No, Squall didn't explain anything," Rinoa said. Her unconsidered reply managed to annoy Squall.

"You didn't give me a chance."

Rinoa shrugged and waited for Zell to finish placing the letters. The planchett was sitting in the middle of the table, and it drew her eye. Squall didn't know how to respond to this, he couldn't understand why she was suddenly so calm. Deciding to ignore her, Squall said no more. It was better to take advantage of her change of mind than try to understand it.

"Zell, mind if I photograph the table before you start?" Quistis asked eagerly. She could already see the photo as the front cover to her book, blown up on huge posters. Advertised in magazines, number one bestseller. Quistis let her mind wander as she checked the images in her camera album. There were some good shots already.

"I'm well excited," Selphie exclaimed once it looked like everyone was finally ready to call up some spirits. "I wonder who we'll contact? I hope it's someone famous."

"I hope it's someone useful," Seifer replied, "Maybe you could take some notes," he added under his breath towards Selphie.

Selphie scowled and folded her arms. Ever since they had met Rinoa, things between the three had been rather strained. Rather than only having each other, they suddenly had three other people who they could be honest to. The dynamic had changed, and Selphie felt even more pushed out. Even though Seifer had never really welcomed her presence, he had always accepted her. Now, he seemed to be going out of his way to hurt her feelings, and Squall was no longer attempting to defend her. Selphie scowled at Rinoa for a while, then looked away. It wasn't Rinoa's fault that she was new and interesting.

"Right, I'm ready," Zell declared sitting back in his seat. "What do you want to do first?" he asked. Tapping his fingers on the table in excitement. The buzz was starting to kick in, and he was nervous about what might be about to come.

**20:00**

It took almost an hour before something of interest happened. So far nothing had tried to contact them through the ouija board, and Rinoa was beginning to wonder why they were all still bothering. Perhaps it was her desire to see something happen, that called to the Bleak floating in the street outside. In a sudden burst of chaos, the Bleak crashed through the window, raining glass over the surly company and across the table.

"Holy crap!" Seifer yelled as the Bleak smashed into him, hitting his right shoulder like hammer. The sharp unexpected pain lost him is grasp on the planchett, sending it spinning across the room after the Bleak. The small block of wood travelled through the shadowy creature, seeming to take an unnatural time to hit the wall.

Rinoa and Quistis had covered their heads at the sound of smashing glass, but Squall was already on his feet, and the aftermath of his bullet ringing in their ears. The Bleak fell to the floor, tiny pieces clattering on the floor like hailstones, and then silence.

"There is something else out there," Selphie shouted, staring out of the broken window. "I saw him, he was staring at me!" she added hysterically.

"He's not there now," Squall replied looking up and down the street. No one had arrived to investigate the gunshot, and now that the sky was dark with rain clouds, it seemed unlikely anyone would.

Squall had never seen Selphie so pale, and while the occupants of the room scrabbled together to clean up the mess, they might as well have disappeared. For once, Squall could see on the pixie's face that she had seen something worth being frightened about.

"We'll carry on," Squall said as the other began sweeping the glass into a pile.

Seifer was still rubbing his shoulder and cursing under his breath. The pain was showing no signs of abating, but it was the hard expressions on Squall and Selphie's faces that told him something was wrong. Instead of complaining, Seifer simply retook his place at the table and waited for the others.

The interruption had not stopped Quistis from scribbling, in fact she seemed to be re-energized, and every now and then she darted her eyes up to the Bleak and then towards Rinoa. In her hand the camera flashed, recording the mess.

Squall found that a nagging thought had returned to him, that there was something about Rinoa that no one had quite figured out yet. He had no doubt that it was her power and presence that had distracted the Bleak and caused it to hurl itself through the window. But her face was expressionless. She didn't even appear shaken, just serenely sitting at the table waiting for everyone else to calm down.

"I tell you, that bastard out there was looking straight at me," Selphie said once she'd composed herself, flicking a piece of glass off of her shoulder.

The look that Squall gave her told her to stop speaking. Selphie knew instantly that he had something to say to her, but that he didn't want to end the séance.

"Well that certainly spiced things up, what's next Rinoa? An undead circus troupe? A murderous poltergeist?"

Rinoa shrugged.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because that Bleak didn't stop by to say hi to us lot, you're the one they like," Seifer replied. He couldn't understand how Rinoa was so composed when his heart was still hammering at a hundred miles an hour. He felt like he needed to rile her up, but she wasn't responding to anything. What was the matter with her?

"Maybe you should leave if you've already crapped yourself?" Rinoa retorted, irritated that no one was going to just get on with the séance. Why did the Bleak have to be discussed at all? It was just one of those things.

Selphie sorted with amusement.

"Yeah, Seifer you really wussed out there. Good job Squall saved your sorry ass, or we wouldn't have the pleasure of your witty company. We'd all be off to accident and emergency instead."

Seifer decided not to respond. Since he was being attacked by two women, it probably wouldn't take long for Quistis to join in too, and the delay would only annoy Squall.

**20:30**

The planchett moved across the board without making much sense until the letters H E L P, spelt out a chilling message, followed by T R A P P E D.

The collective silence made the room feel heavy, and suddenly the night, which had started as a sort of game became solemn.

"Are you looking for someone Squall?" Rinoa asked suddenly, startling everyone. "Are you searching?"

The randomness of the question prompted a host of questioning stares from those around Squall, who didn't understand what Rinoa was talking about. But Squall had become frozen. The eerie light from the street lit Rinoa's face in an odd way, making her look otherworldly. For the first time since he met her, she suddenly looked like her Heartilly namesake.

Seifer was puzzled. Had Squall been keeping something from him all these years? Was tonight's séance more than it appeared? Torn between feeling angry that he had been kept in the dark, and impressed that Squall had finally done something underhand, Seifer waited for Squall's reply.

"Yes, I am looking from someone," Squall said after a while. "My sister."

Rinoa looked down at the board.

"It's her," she replied assuredly, staring at the board, where the planchett still pointed to D.

But from the on, no matter what questions they asked, the planchett moved no more, and the evening ended with the guests feeling confused.


End file.
